Natural Control Perspectives of Dermanyssus Gallinae in Poultry

Abstract

Dermanyssus gallinae (Poultry red mite) is known to be the most dangerous ectoparasite of poultry. Specifically, it causes vascular damage, loss of blood, skin rashes in the host, and sometimes leads to death. D. gallinae has animal health and welfare issues but it mainly affects eggs-production industry. Global annual loss due to D. gallinae is 3.92 billion USD. Different chemical compounds and pesticides are used to control poultry red mites in poultry farms. However, the emergence of drug resistance against different chemical compounds and harmful drug residues in meat and eggs limit chemical control. In this scenario, there is a dire need to find alternatives to chemical control. This review mainly highlights the alternates of chemical control i.e. volatile compounds, pheromones, and kairomones. Pheromones and kairomones attract D. gallinae and hamper the parasite growth. While certain volatile compounds and plant extracts exert repellent effects on D. gallinae leading to decreased or no growth. Finally, effective treatments against D. gallinae are required to control infestation in poultry. In the future, different devices that have been tested on species of the Acari genus can be used to control poultry red mites.