Biosecurity practices associated with tilapia (Oreochromis spp.) farms in the semi-arid zone of the northwest of the state of Hidalgo, Mexico

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Abstract
Tilapia production represents a significant source of employment and high-quality nutritional food. Its socioeconomic importance has driven the farming systems intensification, making biosecurity aspects crucial to supporting industry growth and mitigating health risks. Therefore, the study objective was to characterized the infrastructure and biosecurity measures associated with tilapia farms in Valle del Mezquital, Hidalgo, Mexico. 18 farms were selected through intentional sampling during August 2022. Health and biosecurity data were collected through a semi-structured survey, and the data were processed by a text analysis using IRaMuTeQ. Producers aged 40-59 years were reported to participate, reporting an expenditure of less than 5 US$ on veterinary services during the crop cycle and a crops disease frequency of 66.6%. The health events were characterized by their origin in parasitic pathogens (33.3%), and the treatment based on grain salt (44.4%) through immersion baths (50.0%). Perimeter fences were reported in 100.0% and it is evident that their presence can decrease the frequency of viral diseases. The qualitative analysis showed a high frequency of the conjunction of the forms “does (186) not (171) apply (153)”, and it was mainly related to low frequency and association by FAC with the words “expense”, “dollar”, “deworm” and “deworming”, in addition to the word “injection” represented the only active form of the hapax type marking areas of opportunity in the applied expenditure and the application of preventive treatments in the farms surveyed. The observed trends suggest the ongoing evaluation of the health and biosecurity profile to identify areas for improvement and potential enhancements in tilapia production systems.