For the last months, coronavirus has been one of the main contemporary topics due to the human pandemic that spread across the world, and many people from the sector wonder whether the coronavirus can affect poultry. The answer is yes, birds can get infected by coronavirus, although by a different one: the avian coronavirus. This agent is responsible for the avian infectious bronchitis, a disease with important negative consequences in broilers, as it causes high mortalities, and in layers, as it leads to egg production losses. For this, it is very important to prevent the disease, and several strategies are used for it.

Prevention of infectious bronchitis in poultry

Usually, vaccination is the main tool for prophylaxis. Despite this, one must take into account that the coronavirus has a broad genetic variability, determined by its capacity to mutate and recombine. This means that, on one hand, there are many different viral strains and, on the other hand, that this virus changes along time thanks to the mentioned mutating and recombining capacities.

This variability diminishes vaccine efficacy: vaccine strains are not always the ones present in the farm, which makes it necessary to strengthen immunity to increase the protection level and prevent this disease.

Alquernat Immuplus, key in protecting from avian infectious bronchitis

Alquernat Immuplus is a natural immunobooster based on pronutrients, active molecules from plant extracts that physiologically stimulate the activity of the immune system. Their administration in the feed or water the days prior and post vaccination improves the response of the birds and increases protection against different diseases, including infectious bronchitis.

Efficacy of Alquernat Immuplus to prevent infectious bronchitis is validated in multiple field trials

Alquernat Immuplus, administered some days before and after vaccinating against infectious bronchitis, has a positive effect on the protection of birds against this avian coronavirus. This was proved in numerous trials and animals of different productive aptitude. Antibody production increased by more than 23% in broilers receiving Alquernat Immuplus together with vaccination, and the effect was also observed in layers, which showed from 4 to 5% antibody titer increase. In both cases, there was, at least, a 4% mortality reduction.

Improvements in the protection against avian infectious bronchitis leads to an increase in productivity and a decrease in mortality. Alquernat Immuplus is an essential tool to prevent this disease, which is difficult to control, because this product makes vaccinations an efficient prevention mechanism, since vaccines by themselves are an insufficient tool due to the variability of the virus.