USPOULTRY and the USPOULTRY Foundation are accepting research preproposals from colleges, universities and research facilities through Nov. 3, on advancing knowledge and management of Infectious coryza in layers.  

Infectious Coryza, caused by Avibacterium paragallinarum (AP), is an upper respiratory disease that can cause significant drops in egg production. The chronic carrier state established in infected flocks makes control and eradication particularly challenging in multi-age layer complexes, leading to substantial economic losses. These losses result not only from reduced production but also from heightened biosecurity measures and the cost and logistics of administering two doses of inactivated vaccines to incoming pullets.

The current standard diagnostic method, real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, has shown a notable rate of false positives in naïve flocks with no prior exposure. Furthermore, a limited understanding of the pathogenicity and immunogenicity of AP contributes to diagnostic inaccuracies and complicates effective disease management.

Visit the USPOULTRY website for complete instructions to submit a preproposal.

On Monday, Sept. 29, at 2 p.m. ET, the USPOULTRY Foundation Research Advisory Committee (FRAC) will host a Zoom webinar to provide an overview of the request for proposals (RFPs) related to this topic and three other Board Research Initiative topics as well as the process for submitting a preproposal. The webinar is complimentary and open to all researchers interested in learning more about the RFPs for the four topics. The webinar will provide an opportunity to ask specific questions to the FRAC, and it will be recorded and made available afterward. The link can be accessed here.