MSD Animal Well being, a division of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J., USA, introduced new information on EXZOLT® (fluralaner), the primary systemic therapy for poultry pink mite infestations (Dermanyssus gallinae), offered on the twenty first World Veterinary Poultry Affiliation Congress (WVPAC 2019), September 16-20, in Bangkok, Thailand.

Conveniently administered through consuming water, EXZOLT® takes a novel strategy that just about eliminates poultry pink mites in manufacturing homes of any measurement or kind, together with free-range.

“Crimson mite infestations considerably influence the welfare of chickens by inducing power stress and trigger financial loss for poultry producers by diminishing egg high quality and manufacturing,” stated Rik Koopman, DVM, World Technical Director, MSD Animal Well being. “The physiological stress attributable to poultry pink mite infestations, indicated by elevated ranges of the stress hormone corticosterone, has beforehand been studied solely beneath lab situations. We’re happy to share information from the primary research of mite-related stress beneath area situations that present the advantages of EXZOLT® for chickens and producers.” The research discovered EXZOLT® decreased physiological parameters of stress, together with ranges of corticosterone within the blood, feathers and eggs, in addition to behavioral parameters, together with head, physique and wing shaking, head-scratching, preening plumage, mild and extreme feather pecking, aggression, and exercise throughout the day and evening. Hens confirmed a return to regular or enchancment of stress indicators and a decreased incidence of comb discoloration, an indicator of blood loss, inside a couple of days after the primary utility of EXZOLT®. Outcomes have been constant throughout totally different housing programs, breeds and ages.

The 13-week research of roughly 180 hens on chosen farms in Spain (n=20), Germany (n=15-30) and France (n=80-130) was performed to judge the impact of EXZOLT® on pink mite infestation-related stress in laying hens in several housing programs. Physiological, behavioral and well being parameters of mite-related stress have been measured earlier than and after therapy with EXZOLT®.

Poultry pink mites are a top-five reason for financial loss in European layer and breeder operations and in lots of different international locations, as infestations trigger vital stress to poultry, lower reproductive potential in males, egg manufacturing in females and weight achieve in younger birds. The entire annual price of poultry pink mite infestations within the European egg laying trade is estimated to be 360 million euros, with greater than 430 million hens in all manufacturing sorts – pullets, breeders and layer hens – affected by infestations.

About EXZOLT® (fluralaner) EXZOLT®, a first-of-its-kind product primarily based on the fluralaner molecule for the therapy of poultry pink mite infestations, works on the parasites’ nervous system and kills mites which have taken a blood meal, whereas remaining secure for the host animal. Chickens are handled throughout an infestation. This ensures that each grownup mites and their eggs are killed. Medical information from three European dose-confirmation research and an in depth nine-site area research confirmed EXZOLT® offered digital elimination of poultry pink mite populations in all handled layer, breeder and/or pullet homes. In these research, the beneficial EXZOLT® dosage routine (0.5 mg/kg physique weight twice at a seven-day interval) achieved 99 % mite-killing efficacy for at the very least 15 days, which spans two mite life cycles. EXZOLT® begins working in mites inside 4 hours after mites begin to feed on handled chickens, leading to efficient elimination of the mites.

Please see prescribing data for EXZOLT® at https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/paperwork/product-information/exzolt-epar-product-information_en.pdf.