Efficacy of long term use of Avilamycin in broiler production

There are a variety of data sources we can use to help understand the effectiveness of a necrotic enteritis (NE) control strategy in broilers. HTSi, Elanco’s health tracking system, provides a valuable source of information and insight on good health. And specifically tracks NE, as well as many potential lesions which we could consider NE indicators.

An important part of HTSi is the Intestinal Integrity (I²) index. A unique, weighted index that assesses the intestinal health of flocks captured in HTSi. I² is the primary driver of broiler performance and there is a proven correlation between Intestinal Integrity and average daily gain (ADG), feed conversion ratio (FCR), and the European production efficiency factor (EPEF). Being that both NE lesions as well as clinical indicators of NE are a part of the I² equation, this metric is inherently a strong indicator of a potential NE challenge.

As a part of the HTSi process, we collect information on the programmes that are being used to control NE. Which then gives us the opportunity to evaluate the effectiveness of those control programmes. We’re able to select specific data to demonstrate 2 key points:

1. The continued efficacy of Avilamycin in longer term use and the impact on Intestinal Integrity.
2. We can show the benefit of continuous uses of Surmax and the damages multiple rotations can have on Intestinal Integrity.

In Summary:

Through the use of HTSi data from South America and the United States, we can clearly demonstrate that:

1. Long term, stable programmes of control demonstrate efficacy and delivers stability of Intestinal Integrity (I²)
2. Conversely, frequent rotation may negatively impact Intestinal Integrity (I²) and therefore negatively impact birds’ performance

Take a look at the last 3 videos from this new series

• Video 1: Significance and losses in broilers
• Video 2: Risk control strategies
• Video 3: Understanding the novel double mechanism action of Avilamycin