Campylobacter hepaticus and Spotty Liver Disease in Poultry

Abstract

Spotty liver disease is an economically important, emerging disease that primarily impacts the cage-free poultry layer industry. While this disease remains understudied, several important findings have been reported in the last 5 yr that warrant an updated review of the field. These include updated cost estimates of disease, insights into the molecular biology of the causative agent, the identification of a second bacterium responsible for disease production, insights into disease epidemiology and interventions, and the generation of new molecular tools for further study.