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Alda Pires

Alda Pires

Associate Agronomist and Associate Specialist in Cooperative Extension

Population Health & Reproduction


Licenses
Portuguese Veterinary Association (Ordem dos Médicos Veterinários OMV), C.P. 2367
Board Certification - American College of Veterinary Preventive Medicine
Education
1999, DVM, Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD), Vila Real, Portugal
2007, MPVM, University of California, Davis, CA
2008, University of California, Davis, CA
2012, PhD, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
Active Research Grants
Co-Principal Investigator, Grazing winter cover crops with sheep to increase adoption in annual vegetable systems, A. Gaudin (Dept. Plant Sciences, UC Davis) (Principal Investigator), USDA-SCBGP-CDFA
Principal Investigator, Evaluating the food safety impacts of cover-crop grazing in fresh produce systems to improve cover crop adoption, crop-livestock integration, and soil health, (Principal Investigator), USDA-SCMP-CDFA 2019
Principal Investigator, Capacity Building Using Train-the-Trainer Approach to Improve Biosecurity and Reduce Disease Spread in Small-scale and Backyard Livestock and Poultry Premises, (Principal Investigator), USDA-APHIS, 2020 NADPRP
Principal Investigator, Principal Investigator Whole genome sequencing of STEC isolates from sheep fecal samples and 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing of sheep fecal samples to identify microbiome changes and potential food safety risks in grazing sheep, (Principal Investigator), USDA NIFA, UC Davis Center for Food Animal Health (CFAH): Animal Funds
Collaborator, Building ranching and rangeland resilience among beginning and first-generation ranchers, Roche L (UC Davis) (Principal Investigator), 2020 UC SAREP Competitive Grants Program
Most Recent Five Book Chapters
2017 Pires AFA^, Patterson L, Maier G.: Coxiella burnetii Implications for Food Safety (Chapter 16), Simoes J; Anastacio S; Jorge da Silva G, (ed), Principles and Practice of Q-Fever: The One Health Paradigm, . .
2017 Maier G, Pires AFA, Patterson L: The Risk for Q Fever in Public Settings (Chapter 15), Simoes J; Anastacio S; Jorge da Silva G, (ed), Principles and Practice of Q-Fever: The One Health Paradigm, . .
Research Focus
Quantitative methods to identify strategies that improve animal health and control infectious diseases in livestock on small-scale farms. Interested in applying and developing epidemiological tools to monitor potential food safety hazards and identify strategies to reduce the dissemination of foodborne pathogens in pre-harvest small farm environments and the spread of infectious disease in the food supply. Also interested in integrating epidemiological methods such as temporal-spatial, molecular analysis and risk assessment in order to support risk-based surveillance and infectious disease control strategies, and the improvement of animal health and food safety.
Specialty Focus
Epidemiology; Food Safety
Ten Recent Publications

2021
Samaddar S, Karp DS, Schmidt R, Devarajan N, McGarvey JA, Pires AFA, Scow K
Role of soil in the regulation of human and plant pathogens: soils’ contributions to people

2021
O'Hara KC, Pires AFA, Martínez-López B
Evaluating the association between climatic factors and sheep condemnations in the United States using cluster analysis and spatio-temporal modeling

2021
Basbas C, Byrne BA, Chigerwe M, Escobar E, Hodzic E, Pires AFA, Pereira RV
Detection of Cephalosporin and Fluoroquinolone Resistance Genes via Novel Multiplex qPCR in Fecal Salmonella Isolates from Northern Californian Dairy Cattle, 2002-2016

2020
Pires AFA^, Stover J, Kukielka EA, Haghani V, De Melo Ramos T, Paieman A, Jay-Russell M
Salmonella and Escherichia coli Prevalence in Meat and Produce Sold at Farmers' Markets in Northern California

2020
Pandey P, Vidyarthi SK, Vaddella V, Venkitasamy C, Pitesky M, Weimer B, Pires AFA
Improving Biosecurity Procedures to Minimize the Risk of Spreading Pathogenic Infections Agents After Carcass Recycling

2020
Pires AFA^, Kukielka EA, Haghani V, Stover J, De Melo Ramos T, Van Soelen K, Jay-Russell M
A survey of farmers market managers in California: food safety perspectives

2020
Pires AFA^, Peterson A, Baron J, Adams R, Moore D
Assessment of veterinarians’ engagement with backyard poultry and small-scale livestock production in four western state

2019
Pires AFA^, Patterson L, Aminabadi P, Kukielka E, Navarro-Gonzalez N, Jay-Russell M
Prevalence and risk factors associated with Campylobacter spp. and Salmonella enterica in livestock raised on diversified small-scale farms in California

2019
Ramos T, Jay-Russell M, Millner PD, Shade J, Misiewicz T, Sorge US, Hutchinson M, Lilley J, Pires AFA
Assessment of biological soil amendments of animal origin use, research needs, and extension opportunities in organic production

2019
Pires AFA^, Peterson A, Baron JN, Adams R, Martínez-López B, Moore D
Small-scale and backyard livestock owners needs assessment in the western United States