Poultry Health Today

Adding a modified-live vaccine (MLV) to recombinant vaccine programs against three important viral pathogens in poultry production can have a positive impact on outcomes, according to field work by Sanderson Farms veteri…

Poultry companies are using a variety of interventions to curb Salmonella and improve food safety, even though it’s not always easy to justify the cost of each, panelists said at a food-safety roundtable. “Dry litter is …

An interview with Kalen Cookson, DVM, MAM, Director of Clinical Research, Zoetis

Selecting pure avian reovirus (ARV) cultures is extremely important in pathogenicity and antigenicity studies, as well as in the creation of autogenous vaccines. But in reality, many samples don’t stand up to close scrut…

Vaccination might be effective in controlling infectious laryngotracheitis (ILT) in broilers, but recombinant vaccines might not always provide an adequate immune response, according to scientists at North Caroline State…

An interview with Chris Williams, PhD, director, technical services devices, Zoetis

Timely use of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing on chicken farms can help tackle the problem of antibiotic overuse against mycoplasmosis in countries where this treatment approach is prevalent — which in turn may g…

Salmonella vaccination is a vital part of an integrated approach to reducing the Salmonella load during the broiler life cycle, said Manuel Da Costa, DVM, PhD, associate director, Outcomes Research, Zoetis.

Vaccinations and other preventative health measures are more critical than ever as the US egg industry shifts toward cage-free and no-antibiotics-ever production, according to an industry expert. Hy-Line International’s …

A few essential adjustments in the way infectious bronchitis vaccines are handled and administered at the hatchery can improve vaccine efficacy, Brian Jordan, PhD, assistant professor, University of Georgia, told Poultry…

I’ve been learning about coccidiosis ever since graduate school, back in 1990. In fact, my master’s thesis was about coccidiosis in broilers. I wrote 150 pages about chicken poop. In the ensuing 30 years, I’ve dealt a lo…

An interview with Tim Cummings, DVM Senior Technical Services Veterinarian, Zoetis

Some direct-fed microbial additives with live cultures have been found to impact the efficacy of modified-live vaccines. Sanderson Farms’ Phil Stayer, DVM, said the firm made the findings relatively recently as part of w…

Botulism might not be a common occurrence in poultry production, but when it infects a flock, mortalities can be high.

The feed additive sodium bisulfate administered to broilers during a coccidial challenge appeared to benefit gut integrity, Elle Chadwick, Graduate Research Assistant,* North Carolina State University, told Poultry Healt…

Preventing birds from getting sick is perhaps the biggest challenge encountered when transitioning from conventional to “no antibiotics ever” (NAE) production, Tony Newsome, division manager, Fieldale Farms, told Poultry…

Complexes should regularly evaluate the infectious bronchitis viruses (IBV) prevalent on their farms to help determine which vaccines can provide the best protection possible.

Controlling infectious bursal disease (IBD) in poultry is always challenging, but it’s especially so in layer pullets.

A genetic technique which could help improve predictions about the virulence of infectious bursal disease (IBDV) has identified pathogenicity in seven new strains of the virus which causes an immunosuppressive condition.…

In ovo vaccination has proven popular in commercial hatcheries as it can offer early immunity against prevalent pathogens, consistent vaccine delivery and a less labor-intensive process involving reduced handling of chic…