Comparing traditional surveys and web-scraped data to understand the pigeon racing industry in Southern California

Recent outbreaks of virulent Newcastle disease (vND) in domestic poultry in Southern California have raised questions as to the source(s) and the mode(s) of transmission. While pigeons have been found to be capable of transmitting a variant of Newcastle disease virus (NDV) known as Pigeon paramyxovi...

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Main Authors: Maurice Pitesky, Malekah Isa, Charlene Rivera, Elise Streba, Joseph D. Gendreau
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-02-01
Series:Frontiers in Veterinary Science
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2024.1451198/full
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author Maurice Pitesky
Malekah Isa
Charlene Rivera
Elise Streba
Joseph D. Gendreau
author_facet Maurice Pitesky
Malekah Isa
Charlene Rivera
Elise Streba
Joseph D. Gendreau
author_sort Maurice Pitesky
collection DOAJ
description Recent outbreaks of virulent Newcastle disease (vND) in domestic poultry in Southern California have raised questions as to the source(s) and the mode(s) of transmission. While pigeons have been found to be capable of transmitting a variant of Newcastle disease virus (NDV) known as Pigeon paramyxovirus-1 (PPMV-1) to other avian species including poultry, the potential geographic distribution and scope of transmission from racing pigeons to other domestic poultry in Southern California is poorly understood. In order to better understand the potential risk of transmission of vND from racing pigeons to domestic poultry, an extension-initiated survey was conducted in addition to social-media based analysis of racing pigeon activity associated with postings on a web-based popular classified advertisement (CAW) in Southern California. Likely due to the insularity of the pigeon racing industry in Southern California, only 1 survey response was completed. However, monitoring results from the CAW demonstrated a much higher level of social media activity associated with racing pigeon sales in Southern California. Specifically, 191 unique posts associated with pigeon sales were flagged between 12/21/2020 and 1/21/2021 demonstrating the potential for the analysis of social media as an extension-based tool. Data from the CAW showed that the majority of pigeon related posts and sales came from both the Inland Empire region of Southern California and San Diego county which overlapped with the established vND control zone. From an extension perspective, while traditional-based surveys can still provide valuable information, web-scraping of social media can provide a continuous source of spatio-temporal data that can facilitate extension-based observations and analysis among hard to reach stakeholder groups.
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spelling doaj-art-14cb7f3a459a419a9719dee3b87502092025-02-03T13:45:42ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Veterinary Science2297-17692025-02-011110.3389/fvets.2024.14511981451198Comparing traditional surveys and web-scraped data to understand the pigeon racing industry in Southern CaliforniaMaurice Pitesky0Malekah Isa1Charlene Rivera2Elise Streba3Joseph D. Gendreau4School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United StatesSchool of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United StatesAnimal Health Branch, California Department of Food and Agriculture, CA, United StatesVeterinary Services, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA), Ames, IA, United StatesSchool of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United StatesRecent outbreaks of virulent Newcastle disease (vND) in domestic poultry in Southern California have raised questions as to the source(s) and the mode(s) of transmission. While pigeons have been found to be capable of transmitting a variant of Newcastle disease virus (NDV) known as Pigeon paramyxovirus-1 (PPMV-1) to other avian species including poultry, the potential geographic distribution and scope of transmission from racing pigeons to other domestic poultry in Southern California is poorly understood. In order to better understand the potential risk of transmission of vND from racing pigeons to domestic poultry, an extension-initiated survey was conducted in addition to social-media based analysis of racing pigeon activity associated with postings on a web-based popular classified advertisement (CAW) in Southern California. Likely due to the insularity of the pigeon racing industry in Southern California, only 1 survey response was completed. However, monitoring results from the CAW demonstrated a much higher level of social media activity associated with racing pigeon sales in Southern California. Specifically, 191 unique posts associated with pigeon sales were flagged between 12/21/2020 and 1/21/2021 demonstrating the potential for the analysis of social media as an extension-based tool. Data from the CAW showed that the majority of pigeon related posts and sales came from both the Inland Empire region of Southern California and San Diego county which overlapped with the established vND control zone. From an extension perspective, while traditional-based surveys can still provide valuable information, web-scraping of social media can provide a continuous source of spatio-temporal data that can facilitate extension-based observations and analysis among hard to reach stakeholder groups.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2024.1451198/fullweb-scrapingsocial mediasurveyspigeonsvirulent Newcastle Disease
spellingShingle Maurice Pitesky
Malekah Isa
Charlene Rivera
Elise Streba
Joseph D. Gendreau
Comparing traditional surveys and web-scraped data to understand the pigeon racing industry in Southern California
Frontiers in Veterinary Science
web-scraping
social media
surveys
pigeons
virulent Newcastle Disease
title Comparing traditional surveys and web-scraped data to understand the pigeon racing industry in Southern California
title_full Comparing traditional surveys and web-scraped data to understand the pigeon racing industry in Southern California
title_fullStr Comparing traditional surveys and web-scraped data to understand the pigeon racing industry in Southern California
title_full_unstemmed Comparing traditional surveys and web-scraped data to understand the pigeon racing industry in Southern California
title_short Comparing traditional surveys and web-scraped data to understand the pigeon racing industry in Southern California
title_sort comparing traditional surveys and web scraped data to understand the pigeon racing industry in southern california
topic web-scraping
social media
surveys
pigeons
virulent Newcastle Disease
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2024.1451198/full
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