Livestock Economics, Marketing and Business Management

ECONOMICS OF DISEASE LOSSES AND MECHANISM OF DISEASE ON ALTERED PRODUCTIVITY

• At present, animal health management becomes more complex phenomenon involving multiple issues in order to optimize livestock production.
• In dealing with animal health issues, economic evaluation has become increasingly important as the effects of diseases which remain to be controlled are far more subtle than was the case for epidemic problem.
• It is necessary to define the ways in which a particular disease lower productive efficiency.
• Over the years it has become clear from many studies that typically animal health measures yield very high economic return to livestock producers.
• In order to explain unusual nature of effects of disease on animal and hence to show how economic studies on animal disease should be carried out .
• It is necessary to define the exact mechanism by which a disease can influence productivity.

Mechanism of Disease on Altered Productivity

• Infectious and parasitic diseases cause diversion of feed resources to growth and multiplication of causative agents.
• Non-infectious disease can affect in a different manner. These disease may cause direct or indirect effect.

Effect of ingestion

• Most infectious and non-infectious diseases cause major effect of reduced feed intake with rare incidence of increased intake.
• Reduced feed intake is often called as anorectic effect. Its effect on feed conversion efficiency is known as specific effect.
• This specific effect is of economic relevance and is of two types.
• Since lower production is achieved from same feed intake and efficiency of production process is adversely affected.
• Anorectic effect reduces both intake and output without altering efficiency of production.
• This is an important consideration as variable cost in purchased feed and a fixed cost in feed and fodder establishment.

Effect of Disease on Physiological Process

• Diseases generally modify different physiological processes such as nutrition, metabolism , respiration and excretion.
• Mainly protein metabolism is highly affected by many diseases compared to other every metabolism.
• Altered protein metabolism results in depletion of protein in the body of host leading to weight losses, and production loss.
• In rare cases, every metabolism impairment occurs as secondary to protein metabolism.
• This results in every costs of tissue regeneration. Other mineral and micronutrient metabolisms are also alterd by disease process.
• Cobalt, copper, zinc and vitamins status have all been affected by protein metabolism.
• Since lung diseases can adversely affect productivity, another mechanism by which disease might impair physiological function is a production respiratory function.
• Similarly altered kidney function and liver function can cause production deficiency.