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Managing Marek's disease in the egg industry
Carly Rozins1, Troy Day2, Scott Greenhalgh3
1Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Valley Life Sciences Building, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Queen's University, Jeffery Hall, Kingston, ON, K7L 3N6, Canada.
Industrial farming practices accelerate Marek's disease virus (MDV) evolution. Evaluating standard husbandry, this study reveals cohort duration and MDV strain significantly impact egg production loss, guiding effective disease control strategies.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Science
- Animal Husbandry
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Industrial farming intensifies pathogen spread and evolution, exemplified by Marek's disease virus (MDV) in poultry.
- Imperfect vaccines limit MDV symptoms but not transmission, driving increased virulence and vaccine evasion.
- There is a critical need for economically viable control measures to mitigate MDV spread and evolution.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the economic viability of standard husbandry practices in controlling virulent and very virulent MDV strains in industrial egg farms.
- To quantify the impact of MDV on egg production under different farming conditions.
- To identify optimal management strategies for minimizing disease-related economic losses.
Main Methods:
- Parameterization of an MDV transmission model.
- Calculation of egg production loss attributed to MDV infection.
- Analysis of the influence of MDV strain and cohort duration on disease burden and economic impact.
Main Results:
- MDV strain and cohort duration were the primary determinants of disease burden and egg production loss.
- Conventional cages minimized per capita egg production loss over long cohort durations.
- Aviary systems demonstrated superior performance over shorter cohort durations.
- Shorter cohort durations were crucial for minimizing per capita egg production loss with more virulent MDV strains.
Conclusions:
- Husbandry practices and flock management, particularly cohort duration, are critical factors in controlling MDV spread and economic impact.
- The choice between conventional cages and aviary systems should consider flock duration to minimize MDV-related losses.
- Strategic adjustments in cohort duration are essential for managing highly virulent MDV strains effectively.
