The manureshed concept: a solution to poultry litter nutrient recycling?
Surface waters in the United States are regularly assessed as a part of the Clean Water Act to determine whether the water quality protects...
Researchers investigate the cause and prevention of False Layer Syndrome
USPOULTRY and the USPOULTRY Foundation announced the completion of a funded research project at the University of Georgia in which researchers investigated the cause and prevention...
How a single Avian Influenza protein can increase period of infection
New research led by scientists at The Pirbright Institute has shown how an Avian Infuenza a virus protein, called PB1-F2, is able to shut...
Case report: histomoniasis in broiler breeder pullets
Histomoniasis, commonly known as blackhead disease, is caused by an anerobic protozoan parasite, Histomonas meleagridis. Histomoniasis affects all gallinaceous birds and turkeys are the...
The relationship between sperm function and diet – Toms are what they eat
It is well known that cryopreserved semen could be used to regenerate commercial or research poultry lines; however, fertility rates from poultry semen frozen...
Research provides new understanding of ILT vaccines
USPOULTRY and the USPOULTRY Foundation announce the completion of a funded research project at the University of Delaware in Newark, Delaware, in which researchers...
How Necrotic Enteritis affects animal’ welfare and performance
Necrotic Enteritis (NE) affected flocks have poor enteric health and nutrient digestibility leading to decreased performance and increased excretion of nutrients.
Evidence suggests that...
Immune system and nutrition: the balance between immunity and growth in modern broiler crosses
Immune activation is the first stage of the immune response necessary to protect the body. It is accompanied by significant metabolic costs and inflammation....
Understanding resistance to different Infectious Bronchitis virus genotypes
In previous experiments, we have challenged major histocompatibility complex (MHC) congenic chicken lines available at UC Davis with an infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) M41...
Infectious Bursal Disease antibody levels and viral load in commercial broiler chickens
Infectious bursal disease (IBD) disease is caused by infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) of the genus Avibirna-viridae and family Birna-viridae. IBDV is found worldwide...
Mycotoxins in turkeys
Toxin production requires the presence of a mould, a suitable substrate and a suitable environment. If a mould is present, toxin production is influenced...
Should the US rethink its avian influenza policy?
➤ Tom Tabler, Professor and Extension Poultry Specialist, Department of Animal Science, University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture
➤ Tanner Thornton, Graduate Research Assistant, Department...
Research reveals method to improve Escherichia coli vaccines
A funded research project at the University of Georgia in Athens, Ga. was completed, in which researchers revealed a method to improve Escherichia coli...
Analysis of anti-Ascaridia galli antibody levels in egg yolk to detect parasite infection in...
In recent years, in response to consumer concerns regarding welfare of birds, there has been a move from caged to free-range production systems. This...
Overcoming challenges of antibiotic-free production
Antibiotic use once became a conventional, on-farm practice to prevent health issues and boost growth in poultry. Yet, public health concerns about rising bacteria...
How can we get bird flu under control?
Emergency and laboratory monitoring
Bird flu is affecting an increasing number of birds in the Netherlands, leading to the culling of tens of thousands of...
Reducing antibiotic use without harming profitability is an actual possibility
Ten million people are at risk due to antibiotic resistance, ensures the “Antimicrobial Resistance Review” published by the United Kingdom government in 2014. Of...
Testing day-old poults
When poults are received at a farm from the hatchery they should be good quality poults; namely, free from physical defects, actively looking for...
The importance of gut microbiota in chickens
Recent expansion in knowledge about the influence of microbiota on health and disease started a major research revolution in the area. Intestinal systems of...
Pathological manifestations of highly pathogenic and predominant Eimeria species in turkeys
Coccidiosis is caused by intra-cellular enteric protozoan parasites of the genus Eimeria. Eimeria is a gastrointestinal parasite with a complex life cycle involving an...
Major histocompatibility complex and genetic resistance to Infectious Bronchitis Virus
Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) is an endemic disease of chickens responsible for considerable economic losses to the poultry industry worldwide. IBV replication leads to...
World Veterinary Day – celebrating the value of vaccination
The theme of this year’s World Veterinary Day – celebrated April, 27th – was Value of Vaccination. To celebrate it, some of the vaccinology...
Rest and movement to improve birds’ welfare and performance. How to manage light and...
When thinking about environmental enrichments in commercial broiler production houses, one might rightfully think of any provisions given to the birds so they can...
Pulsed ultraviolet light processing of eggs
In recent years, pulsed ultraviolet light has been shown to reduce microbial pathogens on the surface of shell eggs, crucial for maintaining good chick...
Use of comparative genomics to identify vaccine candidates for Campylobacter Jejuni
Interventions to control and reduce the incidence of Campylobacter jejuni colonization in poultry is important in order to reduce the burden of foodborne illness in humans....
Holistic view of intestinal health in poultry
The intestinal health of poultry has broad implications for the systemic health of birds, animal welfare, the production efficiency of flocks, food safety, and...
Protozoal management in turkeys
The two turkey protozoa that cause significant animal welfare and economic distress include various Eimeria species of coccidia and Histomonas meleagridis. For coccidia, oral...
Infectious bursal disease viruses may swap genetic material during infection
Live cell imaging has been used by researchers at The Pirbright Institute to reveal new information about how different strains of infectious bursal disease virus...
Garlic allicin as a promising alternative to antibiotics in broilers
Introduction
The poultry industry is under increasing pressure to reduce antibiotic use due to antimicrobial resistance and consumer demand for safer products. Garlic (Allium sativum)...
Obtaining the most benefit from an anticoccidial sensitivity test
The poultry industry has been using the same anticoccidial drugs for the prevention of coccidiosis for several decades. The last approval of a new...
Antibiotic-resistance: the contribution of the viruses in GIT microbiome
The GIT, or rather the gastro intestinal tract, is the organ of the all organism mostly colonized by the microbial population: it hosts more...
Clostridial Dermatitis
Clostridial Dermatitis is a disease of economic concern in turkeys. Clostridium perfringens and Clostridium septicum have been isolated consistently from dermatitis lesions in turkeys....
Biological control of Salmonella in the poultry industry: a European perspective
Salmonella remains one of the most important foodborne bacterial pathogens worldwide, and is frequently linked with the consumption of contaminated poultry meat and eggs....
Chicken study probes resistance to food bug
Receiving gut microbes from resistant chickens does not lessen chickens’ susceptibility to bacterium that causes food poisoning.
Susceptible chickens became even more susceptible to Campylobacter,...
Female persistency post-peak. Managing fertility and production
INTRODUCTION
Managing breeding stock fertility and egg production is critical to achieving good breeder production and welfare. However, maintaining persistent egg output and hatchability remains...
Increasing standardization in real-time PCR diagnostics
How to use it with a modular system and its benefit to laboratory throughput.
The IDEXX RealPCR™ real-time PCR reagents aim to provide a new...
On-farm control of campylobacter
Campylobacteriosis, primarily caused by the consumption of contaminated chicken products, accounts for the majority of food poisoning cases in Europe and many other developed...
Increased cecal butyrate concentrations protect against Salmonella Enteritidis
Butyrate is a molecule that is extensively studied as a feed additive to improve gut health and animal performance. It also has been described...
Gut health in poultry production: why, what and how
Gut health has become a dominant topic in the global poultry industry. But why did the topic emerge to become so important to the...
Compatibility of a new multi-strain probiotic with a live-attenuated Salmonella vaccine in chickens
A pilot study was undertaken to assess the compatibility of a new multistrain probiotic with a live-attenuated Salmonella Typhimurium (ST) vaccine. Experimental units were...
Detection of antibodies against Chlamydia species in chicken serum
Avian chlamydiosis is a bacterial infection caused by Chlamydia bacteria. The currently available tests distinguish Chlamydia species based on genetic material. Researchers from Wageningen...
Comparing two ELISA kits
Here a comparison of two ELISA kits as been made to assess their efficicacy.
Recombinant turkey herpesvirus vaccines (rHVT) are being widely used for...
Newcastle disease virus evolution and control strategies
Newcastle disease virus is continuously evolving, and molecular techniques allow the classification of vaccine and field strains in numerous genotypes and subgenotypes, although a...
Towards practical methods for assessing ILTV vaccine take
In response to ILTV outbreaks, live vaccines are typically administered at 7-14 days of age in drinking water via nipple drinkers which may not...
A new view of how class I molecules fight diseases
Classical class I molecules of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) play crucial roles in defence against viruses.
The class I molecules bind pieces of protein...
Trends, standards and research directions for the future of laying hen welfare
The Western egg industry is transitioning to cage-free housing, creating new welfare challenges for hens genetically adapted to battery cages. Research highlights that early-life...
Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) vaccines produced in eggs have unpredictable mutations
Scientists at The Pirbright Institute have shown that infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) vaccines produced in eggs have unpredictable mutations which may be prone to...
Turkey arthritis reovirus. Diagnostic strategies
Avian reoviruses (ARVs). They are non-enveloped viruses of 70-80 nm size having an icosahedral symmetry. The viral genome has 10 segments of double stranded...
Practical guide for evaluating day-old chick quality: key standards and health monitoring
Evaluating the quality of day-old chicks (DOC) is crucial for successful poultry production. This practical guide outlines the key physical indicators, health factors, and...
Macroscopic lesion scoring correlates with gut morphology changes in a newly developed dysbacteriosis model
Conventional broilers often experience intestinal problems between 20 and 30 days of age, caused by a microbial imbalance in the gut, which is referred...
Prevalence and antimicrobial resistance of thermophylic Campylobacters in poultry
Campylobacter spp. is a leading cause of foodborne diarrhea. The most common source of infection is contaminated food, mainly poultry meat.
The uncontrolled use of...
Advantages and disadvantages of Coccidiosis control programs in poultry
Coccidiosis is a protozoan economic disease of poultry, in which around 80% of losses are due to mortality, reduced weight gain, inefficient feed conversion,...
A multidisciplinary research approach on Avian Influenza in Italy
The Avian Influenza epidemic of 2016-2017 had been the largest in Europe in more than 10 years. The circulating virus was a Highly Pathogenic...
Role of dietary calcium in Necrotic Enteritis development and pathogenesis
USPOULTRY and the USPOULTRY Foundation announce the completion of a funded research project at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, in which the...
Footpad dermatitis in market turkey hens. Bird density and bedding material relationships
Lameness
and poor footpad condition can be major issues for meat-type poultry resulting
in their decreased well-being and decreased productivity. A large body of
research exists for...
An alternative method to fight Avian Influenza Virus
A recent project was completed at the University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, in which researchers developed a mobile system that can inactivate Avian...
Pathogenesis of egg infections by Salmonella – First Part
Salmonella is an invasive bacterial genus and colonizes the gut of chickens, and systemically spreads to internal organs, including the reproductive tract, potentially leading...
The role of feed additives in the protozoal diseases in poultry
Coccidiosis and histomoniasis are economically significant diseases in chickens and turkeys. Management, vaccination and medication are key tools in the control of these diseases...
Backyard poultry flocks Salmonella spp. seroprevalence
As backyard poultry grows as a hobby in the United States there is an increased worry that poultry will become infected with Salmonella spp....
Concurrent infection of Histomonas meleagridis and Eimeria meleagridis in a turkey flock
Blackhead disease (histomoniasis) in turkeys is one of the protozoan diseases sporadically documented in commercial turkey production facilities. Histomoniasis may induce mild, moderate, or...
Coccidiosis control in broiler breeders with the use of vaccines by Aviagen®
Coccidiosis is a disease of the intestinal lining, produced by the invasion of the mucosal cells by a very prolific protozoan parasite of the...
Future of Blackhead Disease in poultry
A turkey health survey of US veterinarians in turkey production ranked blackhead position #13 (#11 prior year) compared to #22 in 2006; the survey...
Gut health, intestinal innate immunity and performance
Gut health is a very important determinant for health and performance in particular in production animals. The intestinal innate immune system is pivotal in...
How do coccidiosis challenges influence lipid digestibility and energy utilisation?
Coccidiosis continues to be one of the most pervasive and economically detrimental diseases in commercial poultry production. Controlling this enteric disease is an even...
Salmonella prevention strategies and influences of sampling method selection
Multiple factors can influence both Salmonella prevalence and diversity of Salmonella serogroups detected from both pre and post-harvest samples. Sampling methodologies vary widely when...
When the gut rebels: the challenge of chronic inflammation in laying hens
In the poultry industry, intestinal health is a cornerstone for achieving high production yields, feed efficiency, and disease resistance. One of the issues that...
Host and microbial biomarkers for intestinal health and disease in broilers
New tools can be used to determine the gut health status of animals and to predict animal performance or to make a decision whether...
Pirbright’s livestock coronavirus research
The Pirbright Institute is aware that misinformation regarding the Institute and its research is circulating on social media following an outbreak of a new...
Gut health in layers
To some extent gut health has not been a focus of commercial pullet and layer flocks unless the problem contributed to a significant mortality...
Optimizing immunization through proper vaccination in turkeys
When we talk about optimizing immunization through proper vaccination in commercial turkeys, we are really talking about optimizing drinking water vaccination when we think...
Holistic view of intestinal health in poultry
Intestinal health is necessary to maintain efficient and sustainable gastrointestinal tract (GIT) physiology. The GIT has digestive, absorptive, metabolic, immunological and endocrinological functions.
This means...
Improving birds’ health by refining their intestinal microbiota health and stability
Intestinal systems of living organisms are inhabited by a dense community of microorganisms dominated by bacteria but also containing archea, fungi, protozoa and viruses....
Key threats to poultry gut health
Assuring optimal gut health across production phases is a cornerstone to safeguard poultry performance and wellbeing. Despite being a health and welfare problem, gut...
Cochlosoma anatis in turkeys
A funded research project at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, N.C. evaluated the pathogenicity of Cochlosoma anatis. The research was made possible in...
Turkey reoviral arthritis update
Avian reoviruses (ARVs) belong to the genus orthoreovirus in the family Reoviridae. They are nonenveloped, double-stranded RNA viruses that are ubiquitous in domestic poultry...
Adaptability of bird flu poses threat to poultry
New insights from a study of the 2016/17 bird flu outbreak show how highly pathogenic bird flu viruses – which are likely to cause...
The Salmonella initiative
An enduring challenge and reputational issue for the egg industry is caused by the presence of Salmonella enterica serovars (particularly some Typhimurium serotypes), which...
Infectious bronchitis virus shuts down cell stress signals
A new study from scientists at The Pirbright Institute and collaborators at the University of Surrey provides evidence that infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) can regulate the...
A diagnostic laboratory perspective for pathogen detection
Detection of infectious diseases can generally be broken down into laboratory detection of the pathogen or detection of the immune response to the pathogen....
A review of novel biological alternatives to antibiotic therapies in poultry
As poultry producers in Australia continue to limit antibiotic use, increasing numbers of alternative therapies and chemical biosecurity products are being used to overcome...
