Linking the Laboratory and the Farm

Integrating Epidemiology and Biotechnology

Abstract

Both holistic disciplines such as epidemiology, and reductionistic disciplines, typified herein under the category "biotechnology", have as a major goal the improvement of the health status of food animals, as well as the people and environment associated with the production of foods of animal origin. However the perspectives on how this goal should be attained differ widely between these groups. This paper describes, from the vantage of an epidemiologist, the merits of integrating epidemiologic and biotechnologic methods in the areas of ongoing disease control and food animal health research.