Findings show that a combined program of live and inactivated vaccines provides better protection and performance in egg layers than a single vaccine approach. You can see the research for yourself now at www.mycoplasmacontrol.com

Mycoplasma gallisepticum control

Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) infections are common within the poultry industry and can have a particularly damaging impact on commercial layer flocks. In table egg laying flocks, MG infection can result in significant egg production losses.

For decades, antibiotics have been used to treat MG infections and single live or inactivated vaccines have been used globally to prevent the disease. But Dr. Ferguson-Noel set out to investigate claims from field veterinarians that a combined vaccine approach offered better protection.

Research results

Research performed at the University of Georgia is changing the way we think about MG control. During the study, birds were vaccinated with a live F-vaccine followed by two doses of inactivated MG bacterin vaccines. The approach was shown to provide high levels of protection against MG:

• 100% of the birds vaccinated with the combined program did not become infected with the MG challenge strain.
• Even the highest dose of MG was not sufficient to infect a single bird vaccinated with the live+inactivated combination.

Dr. Ferguson-Noel is delighted with these results. She says: “The combined program can provide birds with additional defense from a wide variety of mycoplasma lesions in the trachea and air sac lesions. It can also prevent egg production drops.”

Why we should all ‘think twice’ when it comes to MG

Dr. Ferguson-Noel is calling upon the poultry industry to ‘think twice’ when it comes to MG control – by adopting the combined vaccine approach. She says that, to survive as an industry and improve the health of birds, “we really need to find alternative methods, other than using antibiotics to control the infections.”

And her results will be welcome news to poultry producers across the globe. MG is among the top five disease challenges, which can result in significant productivity and economic losses. It can also severely impact the welfare of flocks.

The results of this research show that by using the combined program, poultry producers can achieve greater protection along with the prevention of production shortfalls. Furthermore, discovering more effective preventative strategies will enable a far more considered use of antibiotics, which is good for the industry as a whole.

Hear the findings direct from Dr. Ferguson-Noel. Watch her on-demand webinar or explore the research for yourself at www.mycoplasmacontrol.com/resources

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