Use of Mycostatin® for the Prevention of Moniliasis (Crop Mycosis) in Chicks and Turkeys

Abstract

DESPITE the fact that copper sulfate is widely used for the prevention and treatment of moniliasis in poultry, several reports show that it is actually of little value in this disease. Blaxland and Fincham (1950), after surveying moniliasis in poultry raised in Great Britain, reported no beneficial effects from copper sulfate therapy. More recently, Underwood et al. (1956) reported that copper sulfate administered in the feed or water was ineffective for preventing and treating the disease in chicks and poults. In two of five trials the use of copper sulfate apparently resulted in a more favorable environment in the crop for establishment of Candida albicans infection. In an experiment conducted at The Squibb Institute, copper sulfate at a dilution of 1 to 2000 in the drinking water was ineffective in preventing moniliasis in turkey poults. Mycostatin, an antifungal antibiotic, has been used successfully in the treatment of mycotic diseases of …