Abstract
The ubiquitous presence of hematophagous avian mites threatens the poultry industry in Asia and worldwide, adversely affecting the quality and quantity of eggs and poultry meat produced by affected flocks. This leads to considerable economic loss and welfare-related issues. The role of these blood-feeding arthropods as disease vectors is increasingly recognized as they may carry important zoonotic and epizootic pathogens. The poultry mites, Dermanyssus gallinae (Poultry Red Mite—PRM), Ornithonysus sylviarum (Northern Fowl Mite—NFM), and Ornithonyssus bursa (Tropical Fowl Mite—TFM) are endemic species across the Asian continent. In less frequency, scaly leg mite, depluming mite, and fowl cyst mite were documented. Considering global climate change and the popularity of backyard farming, the incidence of avian mite infestation is expected to increase as Asian production expands. The TFM may start to colonize sub-tropical nations where the seasonal temperature is comparable to tropical regions. Pyrethroids, organophosphates, carbamates, and macrocyclic lactones are licensed acaricides for use in China, Japan, and India. In recent years, the development of acaricide resistance has compromised the efficacy of chemical control measures. Several botanical acaricides based on plant and fungal constituents are being investigated. Judicious integration of multiple approaches to manage poultry mite infestation is advised. In this article, we review the prevalence, geographical distribution, zoonotic potential, and control measures of avian mites in poultry farms in Asia.
Highlights
Mite infestations are of significant concern in the poultry farming industry, affecting the physical and psychological well-being of birds and the quality of egg production
This study reported a prevalence rate of northern fowl mite (NFM) as 42.8%, which was similar to another study conducted in Northern Chinese poultry farms (46.9%) [13]
Poultry mite management in livestock production relies on chemical acaricides
Summary
Mite infestations are of significant concern in the poultry farming industry, affecting the physical and psychological well-being of birds and the quality of egg production. Common avian mites include the poultry red mite (PRM), Dermanyssus gallinae (De Geer, 1778; Mesostigmata: Dermanyssidae), the northern fowl mite (NFM), Ornithonyssus sylviarum (Canestrini and Fanzago, 1877), and the tropical fowl mite (TFM), Ornithonyssus bursa (Mesostigmata: Macronyssidae; Berlese 1888) These mesostigmatic mites are obligatory hematophagous ectoparasites which feed on broilers and egg laying hens [1,2,3]. In China, NFM was more frequently identified in breeders (46.9%) than in commercial layer hens (22.7%) [13] Another Chinese study was conducted in seven poultry housing premises across Hainan Island (China), where the climate ranged from tropical to subtropical [14]. Two haplogroups were found identical to the European PRM clones This information suggested possible importation of these mite haplogroups from Europe to Japan through international trade of infested chickens and poultry farm materials [15]. In Asia, there were reports of human cases of NFM dermatitis in Japan [58] and PRM pruritus in Iran [55]
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