Search by key word or author


 
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.

 

back  |  print