With a recent publication citing the cost of coccidiosis as having escalated by almost 300% in the last 20 years, it is clear that it is a disease which continues to have a huge impact on poultry performance.
With no new coccidiosis vaccine on the horizon, maintaining the efficacy of current products is essential, warns Huvepharma's Ben Dehaeck, Global Product Manager Anticoccidials.
In this Industry Perspectives, he discusses the need for effective product rotation in all flocks, why accurate data is so important, as well as the biosecurity steps producers must take to safeguard both their poultry and currently available products.
[Feedinfo] Huvepharma has a long history dealing with coccidiosis control. What is your opinion on rotation and usage of coccidiostats?
[Ben Dehaeck] Firstly, I would like to clarify the fundamental principle of a rotation programme. It involves systematically changing the coccidiostat used within a flock over specific periods of time. This strategy contrasts with the continuous use of a single coccidiostat for a longer period of time, which can lead to reduced sensitivity of the omnipresent coccidia species.
I would say it is common sense that rotating between different coccidiostats will always be more effective than using the same product consecutively for years, as rotation mitigates the increased selection pressure that results from continuous use.
In Europe, the average number of rotations per year varies between countries. For example, in the more integrated markets (Spain, Italy, Poland, Germany) an average of two to three rotations per year are implemented as a general rule. By contrast, in the less integrated countries (the Netherlands, Belgium) fewer rotations are implemented. In the US, the average number of rotations per year is similar to the integrated countries in Europe (two-three rotations per year).
As a business, we have always been dedicated to supporting the poultry industry and offer a complete portfolio of high-quality coccidia control solutions. Huvepharma continually invests in new market authorisations for coccidiostats because we believe it is in our clients' best interests to have a wider range of coccidia control tools from which to choose. In this way, we believe producers are best equipped to implement their specific control strategies to maximum effect.
[Feedinfo] What advantages can we expect to see from using a rotation programme?
[Ben Dehaeck] In many regions, regulatory bodies and consumer organisations are increasingly emphasising the importance of responsible drug use in animal husbandry. By implementing rotation strategies, poultry producers can demonstrate their commitment to responsible farming practices.
This proactive approach can enhance the poultry industry's reputation in relation to regulatory compliance as well as its commitment to sustainable farm practices. Just like with many other classes of therapeutic drugs, overuse of a single coccidiostat promotes increased selection pressure for resistance which ultimately leads to reduced sensitivity over time. Rotations are especially important when you consider that most of the coccidiostats have been on the market for more than 50 years.
At the same time as improving the reputation of the poultry industry, rotation of coccidiostats will also significantly contribute to better coccidiosis control and improved intestinal health. On-farm data collected by producers using Aviapp® (our independent software platform) indicates that applying a sensible rotation programme will improve critical production parameters such as feed conversion ratio (FCR), average daily gain (ADG) and mortality.
In addition to rotating coccidiostats over a time period, it's also significantly beneficial to use different products, containing different active ingredients, within the same production flock.
For example, when a combination product containing nicarbazin and an ionophore is used in the starter and grower feed, it is better to rotate to a different ionophore (as a single product) in finisher feed. Data from Aviapp® has demonstrated this advantage not only in relation to improved parasitology results (significantly lower coccidiosis lesions in week 3, 4 and 5) but also performance results (significantly lower FCR) too. Any practice which improves these critically important performance parameters helps to make a significant impact on improving the sustainability of poultry production at the same time as raising animal welfare standards.
[Feedinfo] Producers often look at data just in terms of their own business, but is there a big difference when you review data at a company, country, regional or global level? What impact might that wider perspective have on an individual business?
[Ben Dehaeck] It's very important to have accurate field data. In 2016, Huvepharma launched an independent software platform called Aviapp® which continuously gathers data for both health (to date more than 85,000 flocks) and production performance (to date more than 74,000 flocks) parameters.
Most of the data in Aviapp® is entered by independent veterinarians (more than 70% of the data entry) from all parts of the world. A global average doesn't provide a detailed picture due to the high degree of variability between regions, countries and specific customer operations. Aviapp® users gain a lot of interesting insights from customer-specific trends, especially when comparing their performance with their country benchmark. For confidentiality reasons, customer-specific trends are not shared.
Another good option to guide our advice in relation to coccidiostat rotation programmes is to analyse country-specific trends. For example, the case shown in Figure 1 relates to the UK and demonstrates a steep increase in E. acervulina lesions in the last few months following a long period (+/- 1.5 years) of using the same coccidiostat programme without rotation.
While Figure 1 shows that there is some seasonal variation from 2021 through to 2023, it is clear that since the beginning of 2024 there has been a steep increase in E. acervulina average lesion scores. This data may indicate that the current coccidiostat programmes being deployed should be re-evaluated. This is of particular importance to UK poultry producers because, in general, E. acervulina is the most prevalent species in the UK with an average score of 0.6 compared with an average score of 0.29 for E. maxima and 0.03 for E. tenella.
[Feedinfo] Looking at that wider view, can you give us a global perspective about this issue - is it becoming a bigger problem?
[Ben Dehaeck] The importance of coccidiosis is increasing because the growth potential of modern broilers is increasing year-after-year thanks to genetic selection. It is critical that these high-performing birds maintain excellent intestinal health to reach their potential. A disease such as coccidiosis has a significantly detrimental impact on intestinal health and, as a consequence, will not allow these birds to reach their genetic potential.
In recent years there has been increased interest in slow-growing birds. This trend is mainly seen in Europe where retailers are marketing poultry meat with higher animal welfare standards. These slow-growing birds are equally as susceptible to coccidiosis as the faster growing birds. The performance parameters of slow-growing birds are lower when compared with fast-growing birds, yet the impact of coccidiosis on their performance is just as dramatic.
In short, even when you consider that coccidiosis is an old, ubiquitous disease, it is still extremely relevant because it remains the disease that has the most impact on poultry performance. To back this up, a recent publication by Damer Blake, Professor of Parasite Genetics at the UK's Royal Veterinary College, indicated that the cost of coccidiosis, mainly from reduced growth and poorer FCR, has increased by almost 300% in the last 20 years.
[Feedinfo] Huvepharma's Aviapp® is widely used, and the poultry sector is one where data appears mission-critical. What is your view on the importance of data in the poultry business - should we seek to develop this further?
[Ben Dehaeck] Data is definitely important and will only become more important in the future.
Originally Aviapp® was developed to monitor health parameters but it has developed into a full broiler management system that captures health, performance and management data.
Additionally, Huvepharma now makes it possible to connect farm controllers to Aviapp® and create a direct link with the system, giving 24/7 real-time accurate information to users. The fourth Industrial Revolution, in which we are currently operating, is characterised by the integration of different software systems that guide us to more efficient production. This trend is replicated across every industry and the poultry industry is no exception. Aviapp® facilitates the interaction between data systems and helps to transform data into customised graphs, tables and insights that are very easily interpreted. This capability makes Aviapp® the perfect tool for data driven companies to improve their performance.
[Feedinfo] Even with good management, it appears that coccidiosis is going to be an ever-present threat to poultry businesses. What is your future perspective on coccidiosis control?
[Ben Dehaeck] Coccidiosis has always been a health challenge affecting flock performance and it will remain a constant challenge for producers to maintain an effective coccidiosis control programme. There have been exhaustive efforts made to develop a new generation coccidiosis vaccine but, to date, all attempts have been unsuccessful. This means that we will need to continue to use the currently available products for what may be decades to come.
Basically, good coccidiosis control comes down to using common sense. It starts with using efficient disinfectants (with activity against oocysts) such as chlorocresol at the correct dosage (for example Prophy® S at 2%), allowing it to work at the right temperature for a sufficient period of time. Once the house is properly disinfected, general biosecurity measures need to be implemented and observed 24/7 in order to reduce the risk of re-introducing coccidia to the poultry house.
When implementing a sensible annual rotation programme, it is advisable to include the strongest and most efficient coccidiostats and to rotate between them when the coccidia pressure is observed to be increasing. In cases where the presence of multiple resistant strains is detected, using a coccidiosis vaccine is the only viable option to restore sensitivity within the coccidia population present.
Despite implementing all these proven coccidiosis measures, it is still possible that coccidiosis lesions can be observed in the field, due to poorer management practices. In this event, Huvepharma offers producers an effective coccidiosis therapeutic, Amproline 40%, to rapidly treat the protozoa infestation.
When it comes to the challenge posed by coccidiosis, Huvepharma is a dedicated partner with all the solutions that producers might need. We have the knowledge, the experience, the products and state-of-the-art software tools to help our customers stay in control of coccidiosis.
