Introduction

Turkeys are the second poultry species produced in the European Union (EU), 14% of total poultry production, according to the most recent data. The past year turkey production grew by 1% and this trend is expected to continue during 2021.

The European legislation’s ban on chemotherapy substances has increased the difficulty in preventing and treating parasitic diseases affecting turkeys. These include coccidiosis, histomoniasis and cochlosomiasis.

Intestinal conditioner and optimizer pronutrients, improve the intestinal physiology of the turkeys, improving the condition of the enterocytes of the digestive mucosa, so they are prepared to deal with infections. This improvement in the condition of the mucosa, will increase resistance of animals to parasite injuries and, therefore, their productive parameters are less likely to be affected.

Turkey production in the European Union (EU)

Around six million tons of turkey meat are produced annually worldwide, with a market value of 3.2 billion dollar. The United States is the world’s leading producer, producing 2.6million tons (2019).

In Europe, Poland is the main producer, with an annual production of 400,000 tonnes in 2019, followed by Germany with 378,000 tonnes and by France with 327,000tonnes.

Despite the pandemic generated by COVID-19, as well as the sacrifices made during the first part of 2020 due to the outbreaks of avian influenza, production of this poultry species has increased by 1% compared to previous years. This trend is expected to continue upwards during 2021, with an average growth forecast of 1.6% through 2030.

Main parasitic diseases in turkeys

The most common protozoan diseases in intensive turkey breeding are coccidiosis, histomoniasis and cochlosomiasis. These diseases have serious consequences on farm productivity by increasing animal mortality and disrupting their gut health and growth.

Coccidiosis

Coccidiosis is a disease caused by different species of the genus Eimeria that parasites and destroy enterocytes in different parts of the digestive tract. The species of Eimeria that affect turkeys are specific to this species, being a species-specific parasite.

This digestive parasitosis originates after ingestion of sporulated oocysts, which lead to the appearance of a clinical picture characterized by reduced feed intake, general depression, diarrhea, and mortality in severe cases.

The intensity of symptomatology varies from watery diarrhea to bloody and profuse diarrhea, depending on age, immune status, and level of infection. In all cases coccidiosis causes the alteration of gut health and worsening of production parameters.

Coccidiosis in turkeys has a high prevalence throughout the European continent. It is estimated that this parasite is present on more than 80% of farms.

Histomoniasis

Histomoniasis, also known as “Blackhead disease” for the cyanosis it causes in adult turkeys, is a parasitosis of great importance in the rearing of turkeys, due to the high mortality caused especially in young turkeys where it can reach 90% of the farm.

Histomoniasis is caused by the flagellated protozoa Histomonas meleagridis. The most common route of vehiculization of this parasite is indirectly through nematodes of the genus Heterakis.

There are two forms of presentation of the disease, an acute form, which occurs in young turkeys between the 3^rd and 12th week of age and courses with alteration of the general status of the birds, loss of plumage, polydipsia, sulphury-colored and odorless diarrhea, as well as a characteristic bluish cyanotic coloration of the head.

On an organic level histomoniasis causes caseous typhlitis and focal liver necrosis, with depressed circular areas up to 1 cm of diameter.

The chronic form of the disease appears in older turkeys, which remain as chronic carriers. Chronic enteritis occurs in these animals, alternating constipation, and diarrhea.

Histomoniasis is one of the most important diseases in Europe, with cases identified in many countries such asPoland, Germany, the Netherlands, Romania, France, and Greece, among others. The prevalence is even higher on free-range farms. A recent study in France, in this type of production, observed the presence of this parasite on the 68.4% of the farms.

Cochlosomiasis

Cochlosoma anatis, is a flagellated protozoan parasite and is the etiological agent of cochlosomiasis in turkeys. The disease is most common in adult animals where it produces catarrhal enteritis and intestinal epithelium atrophy.

It usually takes subclinical, with a significant reduction in production parameters. In the case of poults where the immune system is not fully developed, it causes high mortality. At the same time co-infections with other infectious agents such as Trichomonas or Giardia have been reported.

Cochlosomiasis is a little-known disease in Europe, however, it has been observed to have a marked negative impact on production parameters, especially in young animals, where it serves as a gateway for more serious infections. Therefore, it is important to include it among the possible diagnoses in case of problems in poults.

Improve intestinal physiology by using pronutrients

The prevalence and economic impact of parasitic diseases in turkeys has increased in recent years, associated with the prohibition of chemotherapeutic substances used for the prevention and treatment of turkeys.

These new legislative trends, aimed at reducing the use of chemotheratics in animal production, are expected to become increasingly restrictive in the European Union.

Therefore, in addition to implementing management and biosecurity measures on farms, which reduce the prevalence of these parasites, such as cleaning and disinfection of facilities and sanitary gaps, it is necessary to develop natural solutions that ensure the intestinal integrity of turkeys and thus maintain good productive performance and improve the profitability of farms.

Pronutrients improve the intestinal physiology of turkeys, reducing the possibility of these parasites resulting in injury to turkeys and thus affecting their productive performance. These are active molecules of botanical origin that act at the metagenetic level optimizing the physiological functioning of the organs.

Alquernat Coneb is the product developed and patented by the R&D department of Biovet S.A based on the combination of intestinal conditioner and optimizer pronutrients.

Intestinal conditioner pronutrients improve the integrity of the intestinal epithelium, increasing the renewal rate of enterocytes and reinforcing tight junctions. Intestinal optimizer pronutrients enhance the local immunity of the gut, allowing the animal’s defenses to control the colonization of the intestinal epithelium by parasites.

The mechanism of action of these active molecules consists in the activation of genes and specific DNA sequences that lead to greater synthesis of functional proteins, optimizing the physiological functioning of the animal. These molecules act directly on the animal’s cells and not on the parasite, so they do not generate resistances, nor leave residue on the animal.

The effectiveness of Alquernat Coneb against major parasitic diseases has been extensively tested in field conditions. In a trial in the U.S. (2020), it was observed that the administration of Alquernat Coneb in drinking water in Nicholas line turkeys reduces the excretion of coccidia oocysts by up to 75.11%, which was reflected in a decreasein mortality compared to the control group, without pronutrients, by 16.7%. At the same time, improving intestinal integrity in animals supplemented with pronutrients improves production parameters, with a 10% increase in the final weight and a decrease in the conversion rate of 24.69%.

Alquernat Coneb has also been tested against histomoniasis. In a field trial conducted in Colombia on a farm with a high prevalence of histomoniasis, it was observed that the use of Alquernat Coneb allows to reduce the cumulative mortality caused by this disease by up to 81.3% in the first 18 weeks of breeding.

At the same time, in an essay conducted by North Carolina State University (USA). was observed as Alquernat Coneb to reduce the elimination of Cochlosomas in feces in turkeys infected with 1,000,000 Cochlosomas per bird, thanks to improved intestinal integrity. The use of Alquernat Coneb in its premix and liquid presentations reduced the excretion of this parasite by 53.74% and 79.03% respectively at 14 days post-infection.

Conclusion

The absence of effective chemotheratic treatments available for the prevention and treatment of parasitic etiology diseases in turkeys has led to an increase in the incidence of these diseases.

Coccidiosis, histomoniasis and cochlosomiasis are the parasitized diseases of greatest interest in intensive turkey breeding and with a high prevalence on the European continent. They are characterized by altering the gut health of these birds, reducing their productive performance, and causing high mortality, which affects the profitability of farms.

The combination of intestinal conditioner and optimizer pronutrients is presented as an effective and widely tested solution under commercial conditions. The use of these active molecules of botanical origin improves the functioning of the animal’s cells, improving the intestinal integrity and thus reducing the multiplication of these parasites and their consequences on gut health. In addition, these are molecules of botanical origin, which do not generate resistances and leave no residue in animals.

Intestinal conditioners and optimizers are marketed under the name Alquernat Coneb from Biovet S.A.

Bibliography

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