Therapeutics for viral diseases of poultry: A review

Panda, Sipra and Kurkure, Nitin. 2020. Therapeutics for viral diseases of poultry: A review. Indian Journal of Poultry Science, 55(2): 85–89.

Poultry farming has flourished during the last few decades. Commercialized poultry farming has dominated the backyard farming. Despite diversified endeavors to increase productivity, the anticipated benefits are hampered due to several constraints, out of which viral pathogens are of major concern. Both RNA and DNA viruses cause diseases in poultry. Infectious laryngotracheitis virus, Avian influenza virus, Newcastle disease virus, Marek's disease virus, Infectious bronchitis virus, Infectious bursal disease virus, Egg drop syndrome virus are some of the potential viral pathogens causing enormous economic losses worldwide in the poultry industries. Despite vaccination programs are carried out broadly for these viruses. The rapid replication of these viruses in the chicken host has a higher therapeutic challenge than the fungal and bacterial pathogens. Moreover, due to a lack of investment for antiviral drug development along with a narrow spectrum effect of them, there is an abridged use of antiviral preparations in the veterinary field. However, antiinfluenza drugs, anti-herpes drugs, and immunomodulators in poultry provide significant action against viral diseases. Due to adverse side effects and drug residues in tissues, some countries have banned the use of some antiviral compounds in food animals as used in humans to prevent the emergence of latent strains. Owing to this, phytotherapy has proved to be a viable alternative as prophylaxis against viral diseases, reducing the incidence of drug resistance and effective immunomodulator. In this review, the antiviral therapies have been summarized, as well as shedding light on the development of effective antiviral therapeutics about the present and emerging poultry diseases worldwide.