About this course: Learn about the impact of infectious disease on sustainable animal-based food production by understanding the science of growth, immunity, and infection and by learning the problem-solving skills needed to advance animal health and food production through optimal management practices. There is a growing global need in agricultural production for a workforce that is capable of integrating knowledge of animal health and production with an understanding of consumer preferences in the context of economic reality, business efficiency, and ethical constraint. However, current evidence suggests that there is a growing shortage of people with the knowledge and problem-solving skills required to match the rapid advances being made in animal health, science, and food production. The results of this shortage are wide-ranging and could lead to challenges in food security and agricultural economic competitiveness in some countries. In this course we will explore the effect of infectious disease on sustainable animal-based food production. The content and learning outcomes of this new course will be designed to be relevant across different food production sectors (i.e., beef, dairy, poultry, and pigs). While the instructors will provide the participants with a strong scientific base for understanding the impact of infectious disease in animal-based food production, the emphasis of the material will be on practical problem-solving and will be directed towards equipping participants with a platform for developing the skills needed to contribute to sustainable food production.
Who is this class for: Some understanding of the following will help maximize your learning experience, but is not necessary to complete the course: basic mammalian biology, rudimentary microbiology, fundamentals of immunology, livestock husbandry, animal production cycles
Created by: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Taught by: Dr. Jim Lowe, DVM, MS, Dip ABVP (Food Animal), Associate Professor
Integrated Food Animal Management Systems, College of Veterinary Medicine
Taught by: Dr. Brian Aldridge, BVSc, MS, PhD, Dip ACVIM (Large Animal), MRCVS, Clinical Professor
Integrated Food Animal Management Systems, College of Veterinary Medicine
| Level | Beginner |
| Commitment | 6 weeks of study; 5-7 hours/week |
| Language | English |
| How To Pass | Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. |
| User Ratings |
Syllabus
WEEK 1
Course Orientation
You will become familiar with the course, your classmates, and our learning environment. The orientation will also help you obtain the technical skills required for the course.
1 video, 4 readings, 1 practice quiz
- Video: Welcome to Sustainable Food Production Through Livestock Health Management!
- Reading: About the Discussion Forums
- Reading: Syllabus
- Practice Quiz: Orientation Quiz
- Reading: Updating Your Profile
- Discussion Prompt: Getting to Know Your Classmates
- Reading: Social Media
Week 1: Animals and Sustainable Food Production
This week we will review the universal and historical principles underlying livestock system design, and how management of genetics, nutrition, and the environment have advanced efficiency through their impact on the physiological processes that control animal growth, development, and production
11 videos, 2 readings
- Reading: Week 1 Overview
- Video: Introduction to Week 1
- Reading: Week 1 Readings and Resources
- Video: 1.1. The Challenges Before Us: Feeding 9 Billion People
- Video: 1.2. People: Our Role in Managing Animal Well-Being
- Video: 1.3. Farming 101: The Basics of Livestock Production (Part 1 of 4)
- Video: 1.4. Farming 101: The Basics of Livestock Production (Part 2 of 4)
- Video: 1.5. Farming 101: The Basics of Livestock Production (Part 3 of 4)
- Video: 1.6. Farming 101: The Basics of Livestock Production (Part 4 of 4)
- Video: 1.7. Understanding Growth Part 1: From 2 Cells to 30 Trillion
- Video: 1.8. Understanding Growth Part 2: Making Meat
- Video: 1.9. Production Efficiency through the Ages
- Video: 1.10. The Economics of Production
- Discussion Prompt: Week 1 Discussion
Graded: Week 1 Quiz
WEEK 2
Week 2: Disease as a Barrier to Sustainability
This week we will demonstrate the link between nutrition and health at every stage of life and production by examining the science behind efficient nutritional intake, uptake, and utilization, and exploring the mechanisms by which disease can interfere with these processes.
8 videos, 2 readings
- Reading: Week 2 Overview
- Video: Introduction to Week 2
- Reading: Week 2 Readings and Resources
- Video: 2.1. The "Inside" Science of Nutrition
- Video: 2.2. The Particles and Partitioning of Dietary Nutrients
- Video: 2.3. Failure of Nutrient Utilization Part 1: Characterization
- Video: 2.4. Failure of Nutrient Utilization Part 2: Treatment
- Video: 2.5. The Two-Way Street of Organ System Health and Nutrition
- Video: 2.6. Nutrition and Disease: From Tip to Tail
- Video: 2.7. The Toll of Infectious Disease on Growth and Production
- Discussion Prompt: Week 2 Discussion
Graded: Week 2 Quiz
Graded: Project 1
WEEK 3
Week 3: Animals' Response to Infectious Disease
This week we will introduce the concept of the farm and each production system as an ecosystem in which animals and microbes live in mutualistic relationships, and explain the beneficial impact of ecologically managing the microbes alongside the animals to enhance host defense, animal health, and production efficiency.
11 videos, 2 readings
- Reading: Week 3 Overview
- Video: Introduction to Week 3
- Reading: Week 3 Readings and Resources
- Video: 3.1. Microbes: Friend or Foe?
- Video: 3.2. Promoting Friendly Farm Infections
- Video: 3.3. Microbial Colonization in the Newborn World
- Video: 3.4. The Farm: It’s a Bug’s World
- Video: 3.5. In Defense of Normality
- Video: 3.6. The Energetic Cost of Defense
- Video: 3.7. When the Defense Cannot Defend
- Video: 3.8. The War Within
- Video: 3.9. Defending the Airways
- Video: 3.10. Defending the Next Generation
- Discussion Prompt: Week 3 Discussion
Graded: Week 3 Quiz
Graded: Submission of Discussion Sample
WEEK 4
Week 4: Our Role in Fighting Infectious Disease
This week we consider the ravages of infectious disease on animal well-being and production system efficiency by considering disease as a war between infectious agents and their reluctant hosts, acting both at an individual and population level that can be measured and managed.
9 videos, 2 readings
- Reading: Week 4 Overview
- Video: Introduction to Week 4
- Reading: Week 4 Readings and Resources
- Video: 4.1. Knowing the Enemy Part 1: Bacteria
- Video: 4.2. Knowing the Enemy Part 2: Viruses
- Video: 4.3. Knowing the Enemy Part 3: Parasites
- Video: 4.4. Pathogen Armaments
- Video: 4.5. Watching the War: Anatomy of a Disease Outbreak (Part 1 of 2)
- Video: 4.6. Watching the War: Anatomy of a Disease Outbreak (Part 2 of 2)
- Video: 4.7. Changing the Course of Infections
- Video: 4.8. Strengthening the Defenses: Vaccines
- Discussion Prompt: Week 4 Discussion
Graded: Week 4 Quiz
Graded: Project 2
WEEK 5
Week 5: Our Role in Preventing Infectious Disease
This week we will be discussing the role of caregivers in managing, preventing, and controlling infectious disease in livestock-based production systems, and help you appreciate how an understanding of the prey-predator relationship can be used in the design of management strategies to offset physical, physiological, and psychological stress.
9 videos, 2 readings
- Reading: Week 5 Overview
- Video: Introduction to Week 5
- Reading: Week 5 Readings and Resources
- Video: 5.1. Building Defense by Building a Fence
- Video: 5.2. Maximizing Defense by Customizing the Fence
- Video: 5.3. Stress Biology: Caring for the Inside First
- Video: 5.4. Behavior: The Window to Stress
- Video: 5.5. Predators and Prey: The Origins of Stress
- Video: 5.6. Thoughtful Management: The Foundation of Well-Being
- Video: 5.7. Changing Stress Part 1: Movement
- Video: 5.8. Changing Stress Part 2: Thermal
- Discussion Prompt: Week 5 Discussion
Graded: Week 5 Quiz
Graded: Submission of Discussion Sample
WEEK 6
Week 6: Infectious Disease and the World's Food
This week we will be discussing infectious disease and its impact on food safety and security at the regional, national, international, and global level. We will also help you understand how outbreaks of important infectious diseases, such as Ebola and foot-and-mouth disease, are tracked and investigated.
10 videos, 2 readings
- Reading: Week 6 Overview
- Video: Introduction to Week 6
- Reading: Week 6 Readings and Resources
- Video: 6.1. Food Safety: The Invisible Net
- Video: 6.2. Food Safety: Whole Chain Approach
- Video: 6.3. CSI: Foodborne Infections
- Video: 6.4. Ebola: Fruit, Bats, and People
- Video: 6.5. How Secure is Your Next Lunch?
- Video: 6.6. Foreign Infectious Disease: The Enemy Without
- Video: 6.7. Foreign Infectious Disease: The Control Within
- Video: 6.8. That's All, Folks!
- Video: Sustainable Food Production Outtakes
- Discussion Prompt: Week 6 Discussion
Graded: Week 6 Quiz
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University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
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Ratings and Reviews
This course is very informative and I am glad to have taken it.Lecturers are very precise and specific in transmitting useful information.
Great Course
Awesome!!
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