Efficacy of fluralaner solution administered to egg layer chickens through drinking water for control of northern fowl mite (Ornithonyssus sylviarum)
Data files
Jan 13, 2026 version files 80.36 KB
-
Egg_Production_Data_for_Repository.xlsx
12.06 KB
-
Field_Study_Data_for_Repository.xlsx
34.48 KB
-
Pullet_Data_for_Repository.xlsx
30.01 KB
-
README.md
3.82 KB
Abstract
Background The northern fowl mite (NFM), Ornithonyssus sylviarum, is one of the most important external parasites of commercial poultry in the United States. NFM feeds on blood, causing irritation and stress to infested birds and potentially reducing egg production in flocks with high levels of mite infestation. Fluralaner is a systemically active insecticide and acaricide. We report on two studies which evaluated the efficacy of fluralaner administered to layer chickens in medicated drinking water through two single doses of 0.5mg fluralaner per kg chicken body weight at 7 days apart for control of NFM.
Methods In two separate studies, White Leghorn chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus) were exposed to NFM so that they developed mite infestations. The first study was a dose confirmation study (n=64 pullet birds per treatment group). The second study was a field efficacy study (n=400 layer birds per treatment group). Once infested with NFM, birds were assigned to Medicated or Control treatment groups. In the Medicated group, a fluralaner solution was administered through medicated drinking water on study Day 0 and again on Day 7. The Control group received only unmedicated drinking water. NFM present in the vent region of birds were recorded prior to treatment (Day -7 for dose confirmation and Day -5 for field efficacy studies) and post-treatment on Days 2, 8, 14, 19, and 28. In each study, product efficacy was determined by comparison of mite counts on Medicated and Control birds.
Results The number of mites was significantly reduced on Medicated group birds relative to Control group birds by Day 2. At Day 2 post-treatment, 99% control efficacy (>99% for geometric mean) was achieved in the dose confirmation study and >96% (>99% for geometric mean) control efficacy was achieved in the field-efficacy trial. Control efficacy in both studies exceeded 99% from Day 8-28. There were no adverse health impacts observed in birds treated with fluralaner.
Conclusions This study confirms the effectiveness of fluralaner for control of NFM when administered to chickens through drinking water as two single doses of 0.5 mg/kg chicken body weight at 7 days apart.
Dataset DOI: 10.5061/dryad.9cnp5hqzs
Description of the data and file structure
This dataset contains the data utilized in analysis of fluralaner effects on northern fowl mite in the study by Gerry et al. (in review). The study examined how administration of fluralaner in drinking water to chickens impacted mite numbers on treated birds versus control birds that received only unmedicated water. There are two related studies: 1) a pullet study (young birds) conducted in a small poultry house setting, and 2) an egg-layer study conducted on a commercial poultry operation. Studies were similar in terms of medication treatment and mite counting, though birds were housed and provided water differently in each study. Data includes mite counts on individual birds and total daily egg production by treatment group for the commercial study using laying birds.
Files and variables
File: Egg_Production_Data_for_Repository.xlsx
Description: total daily egg production by treatment group (row) and study day
Variables
- Study Day - Day of the trial with day 0 being day that treatment was first administered to chickens, and with negative numbers indicating days prior to treatment and positive numbers being days after treatment.
- Row - cage row of birds with row categories being treated (medicated) or control (non medicated). Each cage row was watered by a single watering line with the medication administered through the watering line.
- Egg Count - mean # of eggs per bird in each cage row on each trial day.
File: Field_Study_Data_for_Repository.xlsx
Description: mite counts per individual bird by study day, treatment
Variables
- Study Day - Day of the trial with day 0 being day that treatment was first administered to chickens, and with negative numbers indicating days prior to treatment and positive numbers being days after treatment.
- Treatment - Two treatments (medicated or control). Chickens were either provided the fluralaner medication or a water only control.
- Cage - Cage number with #1-200 being untreated control cage assignments, and 201-400 being cages provided medicated (with fluralaner) water. Each cage held 2 chickens. Cages assigned to each treatment were watered using the same watering line with medication administered through the watering line to cages assigned to the treatment group.
- Bird - Leg band number of each individual chicken.
- Mitecount - # of mites on each individual chicken.
File: Pullet_Data_for_Repository.xlsx
Description: mite count per bird by study day, cage, and treatment group
Variables
- Bird - leg band number of each individual chicken
- Mites - mean # of mites per bird in each cage (cage level value).
- Day - Day of the trial with day 0 being day that treatment was first administered to chickens, and with negative numbers indicating days prior to treatment and positive numbers being days after treatment.
- Cage - Cage identification code to which birds were assigned. Each cage held 4 birds. Cages were organized into cage groups (number portion of the code) and cage within the group (letter portion of the code).
- Group - Treatment assignment (medicated [TRT] or control). Cages were assigned to one or the other treatment group.
Code/software
Not applicable
Access information
Other publicly accessible locations of the data:
Data was derived from the following sources:
- Data was collected by research team members from the pullet flock (at UC Riverside) or from egg-layer chickens at a commercial poultry facility in Yucaipa, California.