Poultry vet urges poultry producers to guard against E. coli

Long regarded as a secondary infection to respiratory disease, E. coli is now rated as a primary infection in many layer and broiler-breeder flocks, according to Jose Linares, DVM and technical director at Zoetis Inc.

It’s also getting to be more of a problem in broiler flocks — particularly those raised in antibiotic-free production systems, he says.

“The industry has relied on antimicrobials to help the bird fight off the challenge of avian pathogenic E. coli, which is constant,” he says. “Once you take that tool away from poultry production, the bacteria will fill that void immediately because now they have more time to invade and cause disease.”

A modified-live vaccine has been shown to be effective in managing the deadly disease.