Salmonella exposure to consumers from eggs has been a decades-long concern. Richard Gast, poultry research microbiologist at USDA’s US National Poultry Research Center in Athens, Georgia, has developed two research projects to gain more perspective on Salmonella Enteritidis in cage-free layer housing.
In the poultry sector, avian metapneumovirus (aMPV) infections can lead to severe economic repercussions, manifesting as drops in egg production and increased mortality, which lead to costly veterinary interventions and biosecurity measures. Researchers described the development of an assay, which was found to be capable of concurrently detecting and distinguishing among aMPV-A, aMPV-B and aMPV-C.
Bone and leg health issues are among the top five common concerns for broilers, noted Gigi Lin, DVM, DACPV, adding that “Lameness can indicate not only a potential disease issue but is a welfare and economic concern.” Lin, a veterinary consultant with Canadian Poultry Consultants, Ltd, was featured in the 2025 Canadian Poultry’s Broiler School Series webinar presentation, “Understanding and Managing Lameness in Broilers.”
Alternatives to antibiotic growth promoters can maintain broiler performance. But replacing antibiotics is not a simple matter of like-for-like replacements, according to Doug Korver, PhD, professor of poultry nutrition at the University of Alberta.
A “Viewpoints” article by
Sara Throne, DVM, MAM, Dipl. ACPV
Simmons Foods, Inc.
Siloam Springs, Arkansas, USA
US poultry producers have a new, FDA-approved weapon in the fight against Northern fowl mite (NFM) with Exzolt™ (fluralaner oral solution), a pioneering treatment from Merck Animal Health.
A “Viewpoints” article
by Autumn Gregg, DVM
Poultry resident
Mississippi State University
Post-mortem exams help determine mortality causes and which health challenges birds are encountering. But conducting necropsies on healthy birds can also provide the perspective needed to distinguish between what’s normal and abnormal for a particular flock.
Pathogenic Enterococcus cecorum is proving to be a growing problem on broiler farms, and infection extends beyond bird-to-bird contact to the farm environment, according to a study led by Martine Boulianne, DMV, PhD, DACPV, at the University of Montreal.
A “Rising Stars” article
by Emmanuel Alagbe, MS
PhD Candidate
Graduate Research and Teaching Assistant
Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana
Currently, 38.7% of laying hen housing systems in the United States are cage-free and this transition continues to increase. However, little attention has been given to pullet housing systems. In this article, Richard Blatchford, PhD, University of California, Davis, provides important considerations for pullet management.
Susan Watkins, PhD, has spent much of her 30-year poultry career studying water problems and how to solve them. A consultant and distinguished professor emeritus at the University of Arkansas, Watkins discussed ways to sanitize poultry water systems and correct mineral damage during the Devenish Symposium at the 2025 PEAK conference.
