The Post-Antibiotic Era
Everyone involved in the poultry industry is familiar with the issue of antibiotic resistance. There is also great pressure to reduce the use of antibiotics and even to prohibit their use in production animals. This has put producers in a difficult position.
Finding an alternative control option to the use of antibiotics is difficult. There are no antibiotics at the present stage. Bacteriophages may be considered as an option. However, their high specificity makes their use difficult. Biosecurity and disinfectants are important tools in disease management.
Virukill is a DDAC-based disinfectant in a new formulation. This new formulation of Virukill® has increased the effectiveness of the disinfectant and reduced its toxicity.
Virukill® Continuous Disinfection Program
The Virukill® Continuous Disinfection Program is the best choice for disease management in the post-antibiotic era and consists of four steps:
Step 1: Effective disinfection before stocking the houses
Elimination of all pathogens, bacteria and viruses at this stage is essential for disease management and proper performance. Effective inactivation of Gumboro Disease Virus (IBDV) and Chicken Anemia Virus (CAV) is essential at this stage.
Step 2: Effective Biosecurity
Effective biosecurity is achieved through the proper use of disinfectant pools at entrances and spraying of disinfectant on equipment. Ensure that the disinfectant in the disinfection pools is always clean. Change the disinfectant in the pools regularly. When the ponds are visibly dirty, it affects the effectiveness of the disinfectant.
Step 3: Continuous disinfection of drinking water
Continuously disinfect the drinking water with 100ppm Virukill® solution (10 ml Virukill per 100 liters of water). This should be done continuously except when using live vaccines or adding probiotics, in which case a 24-hour interval should be allowed. Before the first continuous use of the very low concentration of Virukill® in the drinking water, the drinking system should be flushed and cleaned with a 1% Virukill solution.
Important: The chickens should not drink the 1% Virukill solution, this is only to flush the drinking system and remove biofilms in the system.
The safety and efficacy of this system have been extensively tested and when used according to the label instructions, it has no negative effect on production parameters.
Step 4: Continuously spray the air around the birds
Continuously spray the air around the birds with a 1% solution of Virukill®. The safety of this system has been extensively tested and has been shown to be safe up to 3 sprays per day. The frequency of spraying depends on the disease you are dealing with. In the event of a serious disease outbreak, you can spray up to 3 times per day if necessary.
If you are not dealing with a specific disease, you can spray once or twice a week. If you have a cooling system in the house, you can spray with Virukill® whenever the birds are cooling down.
