20th European Symposium on Poultry Nutrition | 24–27 August 2015 | Prague, Czech Republic P-263 (ID 240) COCCIDIOSIS PREVENTION STRATEGIES AND PRACTICES IN THE AMERICAS

The study objective was to evaluate the most commonly used strategies and practices in coccidiosis control in the Americas. Seventy five interviews with participants from Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Mexico and Peru were carried out in the period March-April 2014. Nearly half of all broiler production in the region was represented. In respect to the number of rotations, 84% of the respondents have used two or more different anticoccidial programs in the last 12 months, and only 16% have not rotated at all. The study indicated considerable understanding and agreement with the basic coccidiosis prevention postulates: (i) not to use a certain drug for too long (77% strongly agree); (ii) to give products sufficient rest after each period of use (69% strongly agree); (iii) to rotate between products of different classes (67% strongly agree) and (iv) to use a synthetic drug in a clean-up program at least once per year (63% strongly agree). The majority of respondents agreed that to avoid resistance development, the drugs should be rotated before having signs of inefficacy, demonstrating a high level of judicious drug use. Only 9.4% of the respondents were not satisfied by the current control of coccidiosis in their respective operations, while 48% were “completely satisfied” and 42.7% “somewhat satisfied”. In countries with low rotation rate, satisfaction of coccidiosis control was the least, indicating correlation between the use of rotation and efficacy of prevention. Introduction Coccidiosis is one of the greatest threats to flock health and profitability of the poultry industry, costing an estimated $3 billion globally each year (Lillehoj, 2006). The disease can manifest itself in a clinical or a subclinical form. While the clinical form is relatively easy to diagnose and most of the time efficaciously treated, subclinical disease often remains hidden. Nevertheless, subclinical coccidiosis comprises up to 80% of the costs related to coccidiosis (Williams, 1998). To combat this costly disease, poultry producers and veterinarians have long reached for in-feed anticoccidial drugs and, more recently, vaccines. In-feed anticoccidials are by far the most vastly used prevention tool for coccidiosis control in poultry, under modern production practices. In its commission report 233/2008, the European Commission recognizes their use as “essential”. Unfortunately if these products are used injudiciously, resistance of field Eimeria strains ultimately develops and anticoccidial efficacy declines (Mathis et al., 1984; Chapman, 1986; 1997 and 2007). Moreover, the latest anticoccidial drug came in commercial use in the 1990s and no new products are anticipated to enter this segment in the near term, making it critically important for producers and veterinarians to use products in a way that maximizes performance while preserving long term efficacy. In this respect the basic postulates in anticoccidial prevention are (i) not to use same drug for too long, as it is generally acknowledged that overuse of anticoccidial products will eventually lead to the development of resistance (Mathis et al., 1984; Chapman, 1986; 1997 and 2007); (ii) to give a rest period to all products that share a similar resistance mechanism, so that the Eimeria population is not exposed to the same/similar drug, which is beneficial for restoration of sensitivity (Chapman and McFarland, 2003); (iii) to avoid the use of drugs with similar structure and mode of action avoiding cross-resistance (McDougald et al., 1987; Bedrnik et al., 1989; Chapman and Hacker, 1994; Chapman, 2007; Marien et al., 2007), by rotating between products of different classes; and lastly (iv) to use a synthetic drug at least once yearly to reduce infection pressure (DeGussem, 2005). The objective of the study was to evaluate the most commonly used strategies and practices in coccidiosis control in the Americas. To gain a deeper understanding and insights regarding current use of anticoccidials and vaccines; to identify common programs used, including rotational practices; to explore the efficacy perceptions among users and evaluate the correlation between satisfaction level and the prevention strategies employed.