Section 2 | Prevention Strategies for Necrotic Enteritis

Moving Away from Prophylactic Antimicrobial Use

Now that we’ve reviewed necrotic enteritis (NE) — what it is, how it is transmitted, and important risk factors in its development — let’s shift our focus onto strategies for prevention.

A Note on Antimicrobial Use in Food Animals

Bacteria are developing ways to survive in the presence of the drugs (antimicrobials) that were designed to kill them. Inappropriate, excessive, incomplete, or unwarranted use of antimicrobials can contribute to the development and spread of antimicrobial resistance in bacteria. In order to minimize the advancement of resistance, which could lead to a post-antimicrobial era, where these drugs are no longer effective at treating bacterial diseases, everyone who uses antimicrobials — physicians, the public, farmers, veterinarians — must do their part to use them appropriately.

We sat down with broiler producer Alanna Coneybeare, of Conlee Farms Inc. in Listowel, Ontario. She discusses the learning curve associated with the decision to transition her flock to Raised Without Antibiotics. Their operation focuses on gut health to reduce coccidiosis and necrotic enteritis:

Prophylactic use of antimicrobials (where medications are provided before animals develop disease to prevent animals them from developing it) has been a mainstay in NE prevention over the years. This large-scale use of antimicrobials is falling out of favour — many experts in public health are concerned that it could potentially increase the reservoir of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria in food or the environment that could then spread to humans.

With this in mind, the Canadian poultry industry is taking a leading role in crafting The Antimicrobial Use Reduction Strategy:

• Phase I and II of the strategy have eliminated preventative use of Category I (2017) and Category II (2018) antimicrobials
• The industry intends to further eliminate the prophylactic use of Category III antimicrobials

See how antimicrobial medications are categorized here.

The Canadian Chicken Farmers have developed an animated video to explain more on this initiative:

We also sat down with Steve Leech of the Chicken Farmers of Canada to discuss his perspectives on what the industry has done, and where it is going in the future with respect to antimicrobial stewardship.

Preventing Necrotic Enteritis

The majority of prevention efforts for NE focus on 6 important areas of influence¹:

1. Dietary Control
2. Controlling Coccidiosis
3. Promoting a Healthy Immune System
4. Gut Health
5. Reducing Exposure to Bacteria in the Environment
6. Inhibiting Bacterial Growth