Top 10 turkey industry disease, health challenges

Changing attitudes and policies toward the use of antibiotics and other antimicrobials are contributing to new and emergent health challenges in the turkey industry, according to National Turkey Federation research.

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(Austin Alonzo)
(Austin Alonzo)

Changing attitudes and policies toward the use of antibiotics and other antimicrobials are contributing to new and emergent health challenges in the turkey industry, according to National Turkey Federation (NTF) research.

The research was presented in an October 2017 report authored by Dr. Steven Clark, a poultry veterinarian with Devenish Nutrition, and Victoria Ahlmeyer, scientific and regulatory affairs coordinator for the NTF. In September 2017, the report's authors conducted a survey of a total of 23 turkey industry professionals and veterinarians covering the health of turkeys raised between August 2016 and August 2017. The annual survey helps establish which health and industry issues are seen as the most important.

The report said the most critical issues are: lack of efficacious drugs, colibacillosis, ORT, clostridial dermatitis, coccidiosis, leg problems, Bordatella and blackhead.

1. Lack of efficacious drugs

A common theme throughout the report is the lack of drugs for effectively preventing and treating key diseases. A large contribution comes from the continued shift toward antibiotic-free (ABF) and no-antibiotics-ever (NAE) poultry growing programs and the new veterinary feed directive, which bans the use of medically important antibiotics for growth promotion and requires veterinary oversight for the use these drugs. Removing antibiotics and antimicrobials – like ionophore anticoccidials – is leading to an elevation of concern about coccidiosis and other diseases.

“Increased outside pressure to reduce or even eliminate the use of antimicrobial drug use in animals continues, which poses a large threat to the industry in the case of a bacterial disease outbreak, similar to that of a viral disease outbreak (i.e. avian influenza),” the report said.

Furthermore, the report said the lack of drugs specifically to treat colibacillosis, fowl cholera and blackhead continues to be a problem.

2. Colibacillosis

Colibacillosis, a disease caused by an infection of Escherichia coli, ranked as the second largest health concern among the turkey industry. Since the 2005 withdrawal of the New Animal Drug Application (NADA) for enrofloxacin, the poultry industry has not had a therapeutic response to the disease.

3. ORT

Ornithobacterium rhinotracheale, or ORT, is a highly contagious respiratory disease caused by the eponymous bacteria. The disease originates in Europe and South Africa. The first case was confirmed in the US in 1993 and in 1995 it spread around the Midwest, causing a major respiratory health problem. Since then, it’s become endemic to most of the country.

Biosecurity measures – like proper water sanitation – can help minimize the severity and spread of the disease, the report said. Vaccination options are limited and the results are varied. Controlled exposure efforts on individual flocks show some value in recent research, but more research is needed on the disease in turkeys.

4. Clostridial dermatitis

The disease, also called Cellulitis, is most commonly seen in commercial male turkeys nearing market age but is not limited to those birds. An affected flock can experience mortality greater than or equal to 0.5 dead per 1,000 birds for two consecutive 24 hour periods. There’s disagreement about the risk factors and potential causes of the problem, but there’s some limited success with vaccinating at-risk flocks with autogenous bacterins and toxoids.

The report said the best ways to control the disease are:

  • Early recognition
  • Removal of mortality two or three times a day
  • Medicating affected flocks with appropriate antimicrobials
  • Promptly managing all water spills, wet litter and feed outages
  • Avoiding composting litter within 200 feet of the poultry barn

5. Coccidiosis

Concern about coccidiosis elevated during the last year due to the continued expansion of antibiotic-free operations. ABF and NAE programs don’t allow ionophore anticoccidials and many programs prohibit chemical anticoccidials as well, so current anticoccidial programs rely on vaccinations or alternative treatment options.

According to the survey, ionophores still represent the majority of coccidia control programs. The report said 55 percent of the 265.9 million head of turkey represented by the survey respondents during the August 2016 to August 2017 time period used ionophores for part of the 12-month survey period. Chemical anticoccidials accounted for 33 percent of the flock and coccidia vaccination for 7 percent.

Turkey farmers are also turning to alternative supplements, called phytonutrients in the report. Alternatives were used for coccidian control on 14 percent of the flock. The alternative treatments may be used in addition to other coccidia control measures. Phytonutrients include plant extracts, also called phytogenics, prebiotics and essential oils.

6.  Leg problems

Leg problems include a number of conditions – such as spiral fractures of the tibia or femur and lameness – and can be caused by disorders like pododermatitis, fractured femurs, fractured tibia, osteomyelitis, tibial dyschondroplasia and spondylolisthesis. The year 2017 saw an increase in the incidence of valgus and varus leg deformities, which contributed to increased mortality in affected flocks. The cause of those conditions is not determined.

7. Bordetella

Bordetella avium, a highly contagious respiratory disease caused by a species of the Bordetella bacteria, remains among the top concerns of turkey producers. The issue is a significant challenge in several regions of the country and is magnified by limitations of antibiotics usage. In an interview, Clark said Bordetella is an older disease that’s returned to prominence with the growth of ABF and NAE programs.

Birds between two weeks to eight weeks of age are most severely affected by the disease. When the disease is present, 80 percent to 100 percent of the flock may experience clinical signs and associated mortality is between 2 percent and 5 percent - and as high as 10 percent in complicated cases.

Clark said the three most important methods for controlling Bordetella are sanitation of drinking water, ventilation and biosecurity.

8. Blackhead

A record 109 cases of Blackhead, also called Histomoniasis, were reported in the year between August 2016 and August 2017. The disease occurs seasonally and regionally in turkeys and can lead to significant mortality. Areas of Europe experienced severe losses due to the disease in the past and some sporadic cases occur in North America.

Blackhead challenges are exacerbated by the lack of effective treatments. Dimetridazole, an effective treatment and preventative drug for the disease was banned in 1987. At the end of 2015, the US Food and Drug Administration withdrew its approval of Nitarsone – a blackhead prophylactic – leaving the industry without a legal treatment option.

Of those surveyed, 74 percent reported one or more case of blackhead during the survey period. Of the 109 cases reported in the timeframe, five of the birds were euthanized to alleviate suffering and due to excess morbidity and mortality.

9. Salmonella

Salmonella, a bacteria pervasive among the poultry industry alongside Campylobacter and Clostridium perfringens, is widely recognized as a health issue in the industry but, according to survey responses, not a severe problem. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention monitor the number of Salmonella related illnesses in the US. As of August 2017, 971 cases of the disease were reported in the country. Direct contact with backyard poultry was responsible for 74 percent of the cases.

10. Poult enteritis of unknown etiologies

Poult enteritis of unknown etiologies rose into the top 10 industry concerns in the latest survey. Being of unknown etiology, the enteric disease can come from a variety of bacterial or viral sources. It affects the intestines of young turkeys.

By comparison, the report said, turkey coronavirus – a defined cause of enteritis – ranked 31 out of the 36 diseases included in the survey. Protozoal enteritis and nectrotic enteritis and Poult Enteritis Mortality Syndrome ranked as 12th, 23rd and 30th largest concerns, respectively.

 

US turkey production up in 2016

According to National Turkey Federation research, US turkey production increased 6 percent in 2016 to 7.5 billion pounds live weight from 7 billion pounds live weight the prior year. Per capita turkey consumption rose to its highest level since 2010, too, to 16.5 pound in 2016 from 16.0 pounds in 2015.

Additionally, live production increased to 244 million head, with an average live weight of 30.35 pounds, in 2016 from 233 million, with an average live weight of 30.19 pounds, in 2015.

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