The 2016 Conference of Chinese Society of Veterinary Science

Development of tools for control and prevention of avian mycoplasma infections

HY Chou, GW Lee, SX Huang, YL Chien, JP Wang, ZW Chen, JH Lin

Avian mycoplasma infections continue to cause economic losses in poultry industries. Two mycoplasma species are of predominant importance. Mycoplasma gallisepticum causes respiratory disease and egg production problems. The other species is M. synoviae, which causes respiratory and joint disease in chickens. There are two general approaches to control the avian mycoplasmosis: antibiotic medication, or vaccination. Antibiotic medication can be an effective tool for the reduction of egg transmission, clinical signs, and lesions, but continuous use may result in the development of antibiotic resistant Mycoplasma. Regularly individualized monitor can be applied to give scientific medication advice to farmers. Vaccination with inactivated, oil-emulsion bacterins or live vaccines against M. gallisepticum or M. synoviae can be a useful long-term solution. In this study, we will briefly introduce some progress in our lab about the in vitro antibiotic sensitivity assay and the vaccine development of avian mycoplasmas.