Poultry health and biosecurity remain central to sustaining productivity and ensuring food safety in an industry facing multiple concurrent challenges.
Key Threats
- Disease threats: Avian influenza, Newcastle disease, and zoonotic pathogens continue endangering flocks and trade
- Antimicrobial resistance: Antibiotic misuse has created urgent need for alternatives including probiotics, vaccines, and precision nutrition
- Climate impact: Heat stress, altered disease patterns, and mycotoxin contamination threaten production
- Production intensification: Larger, genetically uniform flocks increase vulnerability to rapid disease spread
Critical Biosecurity Strategies
Biosecurity is "the most effective preventive tool" encompassing controlled access, sanitation, all-in-all-out practices, and waste management.
- Vaccination advancement (recombinant and DIVA vaccines)
- One Health approach integration
- Digital monitoring tools and AI applications
- Responsible antibiotic stewardship
- Genetic selection for disease resistance
- Gut health optimisation through nutrition
Future Direction
Resilience depends on "innovation, global cooperation, and integrated policies" combining prevention strategies with One Health principles.
Prof. (Dr.) P.K. Shukla and Dr. Amitav Bhattacharyya
Department of Poultry Science