Serum Biochemistry of Turkeys Challenged with Histomonas meleagridis

The unavailability of drugs and vaccines has resulted in a resurgence of histomoniasis outbreaks in recent years. Studies have been conducted to understand the infectivity of Histomonas meleagridis field isolates and develop early diagnostic tools for histomoniasis. To better understand the underlying physiological impact of H. meleagridis, serum clinical chemistry analytes were evaluated in three independent studies. Poults were challenged with wild-type H. meleagridis isolates by the cloacal route. In studies 1 and 2, blood samples were collected 9 days postchallenge (PC), while in study 3, blood samples were collected at 5 and 8 days PC for serum analysis. Among the several serum parameters evaluated, serum cholesterol and ALKP were consistently and significantly depleted in poults challenged with wild-type H. meleagridis. Depletion of serum cholesterol and ALKP was documented as early as 5 days PC with H. meleagridis.