Necrotic enteritis, a growing problem in the poultry industry, is not only linked to coccidiosis and wet litter, it is also associated with the use of ammonia and the presence of plasterboard walls, according to researchers from the University of Liverpool.

To determine the prevalence and risk factors for necrotic enteritis in broilers, a survey of managers was conducted among 857 farms rearing broilers for nine poultry companies in the United Kingdom. Additional information on disease occurrence was obtained from veterinary postmortem reports.

The results, based on a 75% response rate, indicated that over 32% of the managers had observed a case of necrotic enteritis in at least one flock during 2001, say P. G. Hermans and K. L. Morgan in a published article (Avian Pathology, February 2007).

It comes as no surprise that they found a "strong association" between necrotic enteritis and the presence of wet litter and coccidiosis, but they also found that the use of ammonia as a disinfectant for coccidial oocysts appeared to be an independent risk factor for necrotic enteritis.

In addition, there was a positive association between the use of plasterboard walls in poultry houses and the occurrence of necrotic enteritis, the investigators say.

[Editor’s note: For more on necrotic enteritis, see the Special Report beginning on page 12.]

Spring 2008

Regresar a North American Edition (#1)