COCCI News

Product updates and industry trends

Dr. Yannick Frémont examining a healthy bird with Label Rouge customer Hervé LaFitte.

SYNALAF "the official association and ruling board that regulates production of Label Rouge birds in France "has just released new guidelines banning the use of coccidiostats from production.

Label Rouge "so named because of the special red label that appears on all brands that meet this program's rigid criteria "are raised free range and receive diets that are rich in natural ingredients, whole grains and 100% vegetable proteins. They must also be fed to reach market weight over a specific period. Label Rouge birds account for 82 million of the country's 958 million broilers, or about 8%.

The availability of Paracox-5 has made vaccination of Label Rouge chickens more economical and appealing to French poultry producers.

Dr. Yannick Frémont, a veterinarian with Schering-Plough Animal Health's French subsidiary, thinks a new claim for spray cabinet administration, which has recently been granted, will make the product even more appealing.

Australia to Host International Cocci Conference

The VIII International Coccidiosis Conference will be held July 9-13 in Cairns, Australia, which is in the country's tropical North Queensland region.

"The International Coccidiosis Conference has evolved from a meeting focused on the control of Eimeria in poultry to a major international conference that encompasses all aspects of the biology of a wide range of coccidian parasites," says Nick Smith, chair of the organizing committee.

The meeting, sponsored by the Australian Society of Parasitology and held in conjunction with the group's annual meeting, will feature lectures and roundtables on genomics, immunology, cell biology, drug resistance, vaccination, environment and other related factors.

For more information, go to www.science.uts.edu.au/depts/cmb/mpu/conference.html.

Editor's note: The fall issue of CocciForum will include coverage of this conference.

Paracox-5 Gets Hatchery Spray Claim

Schering-Plough Animal Health Corporation has obtained approval from European regulatory authorities for hatchery spray administration for Paracox-5, an attenuated vaccine that protects against the most economically significant species of Eimeria causing coccidiosis in broiler chickens.

"The hatchery spray application lets poultry operations vaccinate up to 100 day-old chicks for coccidiosis in about two seconds, while providing uniform coverage and development of immunity against coccidiosis," says Dr. Charlie Broussard, a technical service veterinarian with the company. "It's an exciting development for the product."

Paracox-5 also can be sprayed on feed of day-old chicks or added to drinking water at 3 days old.
When used in the hatchery, Paracox-5 should be administered with Schering- Plough Animal Health's Spraycox® spray cabinet or other company-approved system that is capable of delivering the appropriate dose to all the chicks in each hatchery crate. The company also recommends adding the red food coloring agent cochineal E120 to the diluted vaccine to mark immunized birds and enhance uptake.

"The chicks, which are attracted to the red color, ingest the vaccine orally when preening," Broussard explains. "A significant reduction in efficacy may be observed if the food coloring is not added to the diluted vaccine before administration by hatchery spray."

Paracox-5 contains live, attenuated sporulated oocysts derived from Eimeria acervulina, E. maxima CP, E maxima MFP, E. mitis HP and E. tenella HP. Immunity begins to develop within 14 days of vaccination and is complete by 28 days after vaccination.

Coccivac-B Launched in China

Schering-Plough Animal Health has received government approval in China to begin marketing Coccivac®- B.

The licensing is a major milestone in coccidiosis vaccination usage because China is the biggest growth opportunity in the world for Coccivac-B after the United States and Brazil.

Vaccination for coccidiosis is expected to become more prevalent as Chinese poultry producers become "increasingly dissatisfied" with traditional coccidiostats due to parasitic resistance, withdrawal periods, negative side effects and other drug-related problems, says Dr. Zhang Yuankui of the company's China subsidiary.

The Chinese character HO, or harmony, represents the relationship between the world of nature and the world of man.

Back to School on Coccidiosis

DDrs. Charlie Broussard (center) and John McCarty (right) provide lab instruction to international poultry veterinarians.

More than 30 of Schering- Plough Animal Health's worldwide staff and consulting veterinarians from around the world gathered in Georgia recently for a hands-on look at coccidiosis lesions and their impact on the chicken.

The event, which included lecture and post-mortem diagnostic work, was held at the Poultry Diagnostic and Research Center of the University of Georgia, Athens.

"The seminar was part of our continuing effort to be world leaders in coccidiosis management and to make sure our veterinarians are the most knowledgeable in the industry," says Dr. Michael Schwartz, director of poultry technical services.

"Our vets need to be able to recognize and differentiate between the harmless lesions caused by our vaccine while stimulating immunity and the lesions caused by naturally occurring disease," Schwartz says. "We need to help our customers see and understand the difference so they can better address the problems in the field."

Coccivac-B Plant Expanding "Again

Growing worldwide demand for the Coccivac vaccines has prompted Schering-Plough Animal Health to expand its production facility in Millsboro, Del.

The $2.2 million expansion project is expected to increase production about 35%, according to site manager Larry Manogue.

Construction is expected to be completed within the next few weeks and product from the expanded facility should be available by late summer or early fall.

This latest capital improvement project comes less than 18 months after the company invested $17 million to consolidate and expand the poultry biologicals plants in Millsboro and two plants in the United Kingdom.

"With this level of investment, it's clear that Schering- Plough Animal Health is committed to the world poultry industry," says Steve Collins, vice president"� worldwide poultry.

He notes that worldwide sales of Coccivac, marketed in the United States, Latin America, Middle East and Asia, and its sister product, Paracox, available in Europe and the Middle East, continue to set new records as more and more commercial poultry operations reduce their dependence on traditional in-feed anticoccidials and seek other methods for controlling this costly parasitic disease.

Source: CocciForum Issue No.3, Schering-Plough Animal Health.