Resistance to anticoccidial drugs in fowl

Resistance has been encountered wherever drugs have been used extensively for the control of parasitic infections. The poultry industry is dependent upon drugs for the control of coccidiosis, a major disease of chickens caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Eimeria. In modern poultry production, drugs are used prophylactically for the prevention of coccidiosis by including them in the diet. This has inevitably led to the development of resistance. We have been fortunate in that new drugs have become available to replace those to which resistance has developed, but this situation is unlikely to continue. The problem of drug resistance, discussed here by David Chapman, has provided impetus for the development of new approaches (such as vaccination) for the control of coccidiosis.