Marek disease is a highly contagious viral neoplastic disease in hens caused by the Gallid alphaherpesvirus 2 or Marek's disease virus. Signs and symptoms include raised and roughened skin surrounding feather follicles, eyesight impairment, grey iris or uneven pupil, loss of weight, paralysis of legs, wings, and neck, and so on. This sickness, however, has no treatment. There is only prevention and management for this disease since it spreads through chicken dander and dust, thus it is critical to keep cages in good shape. The Marek disease industry is expanding rapidly as a result of increased disease concerns in poultry-rich areas.
Poultry meat and eggs are two of the most popular animal products. For example, in 2020, India's poultry meat consumption was estimated to be around 3.9 million metric tonnes. Furthermore, in 2019, poultry consumption in the United States was roughly 112.5 pounds per capita. The birds infected are extremely vulnerable to parasite and bacterial illnesses. Furthermore, increased livestock production rates, rising foodborne disease rates, rising demand for animal protein, and rising consumer concerns about food safety are all contributing to the Marek disease market's rise.
Other factors driving the Marek disease market growth include rising zoonotic disease prevalence, increased poultry transportation, high-intensity breeding, rising demand for poultry-derived food products, and rising disease outbreaks in poultry. As a result, Boehringer Ingelheim launched a vaccine, VAXXITEK HVT+IBD+ND, in January 2020, to protect poultry from three diseases: Marek's Disease, Infectious Bursal Disease (classic and variant kinds), and Newcastle Disease. Furthermore, in November 2019, Boehringer Ingelheim launched a novel and effective vaccination to treat the most severe types of Marek's disease in poultry.
The Marek disease market is booming in North America and Asia Pacific, thanks to rising animal health awareness, a large livestock population, rising demand for poultry-derived food products, increasing virulence of the herpes virus, innovative research and development initiatives, and high-intensity production facilities. Furthermore, market players are boosting their research and development investments in order to create a safe and effective therapy for Marek disease, which is projected to accelerate the Marek disease market's growth.
Marek disease often results in death or severe production loss in both layer and meat chickens. The disease can develop within 3 to 4 weeks in meat chickens, whereas in layers, most deaths occur between 12 and 24 weeks of age.
