RESULTS OF SEROLOGICAL MONITORING OF ECONOMICALLY SIGNIFICANT DISEASES IN TURKEY PRODUCTION INDUSTRY OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION IN 2019-2020
At present, infectious diseases of bacterial, viral and mycoplasma etiology that cause economic losses associated with decreased and delayed egg laying, low egg fertility and hatching rate, increased poultry culling rate, etc. act as constraining factors for intensive poultry production. An important aspect of mycoplasma infections is their immunosuppressive effect on the body, which results in reduced effectiveness of scheduled immunization with live virus vaccines and complications. The paper presents the results of tests of 1,565 serum samples from turkeys of different ages of eight poultry holdings of the Russian Federation for detection of specific antibodies against hemorrhagic enteritis virus, the agents of bordetellosis (Bordetella avium), pasteurellosis (Pasteurella multocida), mycoplasmosis (Mycoplasma gallisepticum, Mycoplasma meleagridis, Mycoplasma synoviae); the tests were carried out in 2019-2020. The samples were tested with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using commercial diagnostic test kits (Zoetis, USA). A retrospective analysis of the immunological profile of turkey flocks revealed that such infections as bordetellosis and mycoplasmosis caused by Mycoplasma meleagridis are of greatest concern. The presence of serum antibodies against Bordetella avium in the poultry of some holdings is retrospectively indicative of the agent circulation in their population, and the detection of antibodies in poults under the age of 10 days is indicative of the transfer of immunoglobulins from infected parents. It was found that young turkeys originating from mycoplasmosis free parent flocks become mycoplasma infected in the course of rearing. The use of means of immunoprophylaxis against hemorrhagic enteritis of turkeys allows for the effective containment of the disease impact on realization of the genetic potential of reared crosses. In view of the antibiotic resistance control strategy of the World Health Organization, the problem of bacterial infection eradication in turkey production holdings could be resolved through the development of currently important vaccines against bordetellosis and associated mycoplasmosis.