Billion-dollar bacterial test for poultry
Necrotic enteritis (NE) is estimated to cost $6 billion in annual losses to the poultry industry, where it causes the death of cells and tissue in the bird’s intestinal lining. It thrives in birds with prior gut damage and those that feed on diets high in wheat or fishmeal. Often, birds do not display symptoms until they have already suffered extensive damage. The disease severely hinders production, disrupting the supply chain within the $45.4 billion U.S. broiler production industry.
With chicken meat consumption at an all-time high in the U.S. at 103 pounds per capita in 2025, farmers need an effective tool to manage and prevent NE outbreaks in their broiler houses. However, the common test for C. perfringens is expensive, requires specialized training and laboratory equipment and takes more than an hour to yield results. Administering the test onsite is impractical, so many subclinical cases go undiagnosed.
Scientists with the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station (MAFES) have developed a novel rapid test for C. perfringens, the bacterium responsible for necrotic enteritis in poultry. The new test can be deployed onsite quickly and inexpensively and yields accurate, easy-to-interpret results using minimal equipment and simple methodology. The test is a major breakthrough in reducing deadly outbreaks of NE in the broiler industry, improving animal health, increasing profits for producers and lowering costs for consumers.
Mississippi Agricultural & Forestry Experiment Station | Project supported by state appropriations; Hatch capacity funds. Photo courtesy of Dominique Belcher/Mississippi Agricultural & Forestry Experiment Station.
