IMPROVEMENT OF POULT PERFORMANCE FOLLOWING BORDETELLA-AVIUM CHALLENGEBY ADMINISTRATION OF A NOVEL OXY-HALOGEN FORMULATION

The ability of a novel oxy-halogen formulation (OHF) to alter the deve lopment of bordetellosis (turkey coryza) in large white turkey poults was assessed. Bordetella avium (BA)-infected (1-day-of-age) and noninf ected control poults received 0, 0.008%, or 0.016% of an OHF continuou sly in the drinking water. At 4, 7, 10, 14, and 17 days of age, reisol ation of BA from infected poults was attempted. Infected poults receiv ing 0.016% OHF exhibited significantly lower cumulative BA reisolation races (90%) when compared with infected poults receiving 0 (96.7%) or 0.008% OHF (100%). At 7, 14, and 17 days of age, infected poults in t he OHF-treated groups were significantly heavier than those BA-challen ged poults receiving control water. Feed utilization was significantly improved from hatch to 7 days of age in BA-infected poults receiving OHF when compared with infected poults receiving control water Clinica l symptoms were severe only in untreated, infected poults and were mil d or absent in all others. Damage to the tracheal epithelium, as measu red by scanning electron microscopy, paralleled the clinical signs. Tr acheal epithelial damage was virtually eliminated by OHF administratio n in infected poults. These results suggest that OHF treatment amelior ates many of the symptoms frequently associated with bordetellosis in young turkeys.