Symposium
"Histomonas meleagridis: Update on Life Cycle,
Control and Diagnostics"
Histomoniasis,
an ancient disease threatening the European poultry
production.
What are the current and future options for control
?
Koen De Gussem
Alpharma
koen.degussem@alpharma.com
Histomoniasis
is a disease with a (re)-increasing importance. The
disease is caused by Histomonas meleagridis, a protozoan
parasite that can infect different poultry-species.
Research had ceased more or less some thirty years ago,
due to the fact that the disease was very well controlled
(both preventative and curative) with products now banned.
Histomoniasis
is jeopardising the liveability of the European turkey-production.
At present in Europe, no products, either preventative
nor therapeutic, to control Histomonas meleagridis in
turkeys are available.
But also in breeders
and in layers in newer, so called sustainable, housing
systems, histomoniasis is a re-emerging disease for
some years now in the EU.
There are some indications that in the USA and other
parts of the world, the incidence and severity of the
disease is increasing in breeders.
It is noteworthy
that histomoniasis has become a huge problem not only
because of the direct economic damage, but also animal
welfare is seriously at stake.
Since the real
overall impact of this disease remains hard to measure,
there surely is a need for improved diagnosis tools.
A lot of possible ‘alternative’ control
means have been introduced, but until now without consistent
satisfactory results. Hence the gap which apparently
can be filled only with registered pharmaceutical products.
At least one pharmaceutical company is working on the
registration of a FDA-approved product, while the possibility
of vaccines is seriously considered by various research-groups.
Several companies are believed to screen ‘older’
molecules for anti-histomoniasis activity.
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