Veterinary Practice Guidelines for Antimicrobial Use in Poultry Colibacillosis.

Rationale: Poultry colibacillosis is an infection of commercial birds (mainly broilers and turkeys) caused by avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC). It is the most common infectious bacterial disease of poultry responsible for great economic losses due to mortality or condemnations at slaughter. Even though the disease could be prevented or controlled by implementing strict biosecurity measures (e.g. optimal environmental and management conditions), the antimicrobial treatment of flocks is a common practice and many drugs belonging to several different classes (e.g. penicillins, fluoroquinolones, tetracyclines, aminoglycosides, sulfonamides and colistin) are commonly used to treat birds, even as prophylactic or metaphylactic interventions. However, many of these therapeutic options are based on empirical observations and scientific evidence regarding their efficacy is still lacking.

Target audience: poultry veterinarians, poultry industry

For the drafting group we are looking for members with the following qualifications: pharmacologists, epidemiologists, veterinary practitioners. Please contact the drafting group chair Alessandra Piccirillo (alessandra.piccirillo@unipd.it) and Jeroen Dewulf (Jeroen.Dewulf@UGent.be).

Drafting group members: