The poultry red mite Dermanyssus gallinae (De Geer, 1778): current situation and future prospects for control
Introduction
Dermanyssus gallinae currently is the most important ectoparasite affecting egg layers in several countries. To a lesser degree, it also affects hens and roosters used to provide hatching eggs for broiler production. This mite may feed on the blood of a lot of birds (poultry, game birds, aviary birds and wild birds). It also occasionally bites mammals including man, and thus can constitute a problem (with itching dermatitis), to personnel working in affected poultry premises.
This parasite has been known for a long time. Its role as a vector of several significant diseases has been emphasized many times. As early as Smith et al. (1944)isolated St Louis encephalitis virus from chicken mites. Since then several authors showed its relationship to different poultry pathogens such as fowl spirochaetosis, chicken pox virus, newcastle virus, agent of pullorum disease and fowl typhoid, and the agent of fowl cholera (see Zeman et al., 1982). However, D. gallinae is most important as a direct pest because it is an obligatory blood-sucking parasite and reproduces very rapidly.
Massive infestations are very common in France with huge numbers of parasites on the birds' cages and on the conveyor belts for eggs. D. gallinae causes irritation, anaemia, and in some cases even death, and may result in blood-stained eggs. The new animal welfare legislation will certainly point out this pathology.
In France, poultry are attacked in almost all parts of the country (Beugnet et al., 1997; Reynaud et al., 1997). Some recent articles (past 5 years) describe the same situation in Sweden (Höglund et al., 1995; Nordenfors et al., 1996) and Switzerland (Maurer and Baumgärtner, 1992Maurer and Baumgärtner, 1994; Maurer et al., 1993).
It seems the mite problem will increase in several countries in the near future, so control methods must be reviewed. First, in order to better understand the principles underlying control, a summary of the life cycle is necessary.
Section snippets
Life cycle of Dermanyssus gallinae
The cycle was first described by Wood (1917). The red mite resembles the northern fowl mite (Ornithonyssus sylviarum) in both size and appearance, but its life cycle differs in that the red mite spends the most of its life away from the birds. Red mites only parasitize birds in darkness in order to feed. In farms with battery–cage systems mites are hidden under the conveyor belts of eggs and cage supports. In farms with slatted flooring systems, mites are hidden under the rods, in nest boxes,
Chemical control methods
More than 35 compounds have been mentioned for red mite control (organochlorines, organophosphates, pyrethroids, carbamates, amitraz and endectocides). Although many of them are efficient, some are unsuitable from a food safety point of view and for environmental reasons. Some of them are efficient in theory but inadequate in practice.
The ideal insecticide should be able to penetrate into nooks where the mites hide and remain active on exposed surfaces for as long as possible and until all the
Strategy
At the present time it is not realistic to ban the use of chemical acaricides. Alternative methods ought to be developed but none is ready for field use. Therefore, we must manage chemical use methods.
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