About the Condition

Dermanyssus gallinae, commonly known as the poultry red mite, is a blood-feeding ectoparasite that affects chickens in both backyard/household flocks and intensive commercial laying systems. The mite hides in cracks, crevices, and litter during the day and emerges at night to feed on the birds' blood. Chronic infestation is associated with reduced welfare and health status, anemia, restlessness, decreased egg production and egg quality, and the mite can act as a vector for other pathogens. It can also cause allergic dermatitis in other animal species, including horses, that come into contact with infested environments.

‍

Mechanism of Action

Natural acaricidal products such as Ectocid Natural Spray, Ectocid Natural Powder, and Herba-Top Ecto-Plus act primarily through direct contact exposure: active components are absorbed through the mite's cuticle, disrupting its protective waxy layer and interfering with its respiratory (tracheal/spiracle) system, leading to progressive desiccation and death, typically evaluated over a 24–72 hour contact window.

Herba-Top Ecto-Plus has also been administered orally via drinking water in field studies, which raises the possibility of an additional route of action - the mite ingesting the compound while blood-feeding on a treated bird. However, this systemic mode of action has not yet been confirmed; the research team explicitly recommends dedicated in vitro feeding trials to verify it, so it should currently be considered a hypothesis rather than an established mechanism.

‍

Research Program

Program title: Evaluation of the acaricidal and insecticidal efficacy of natural products in Dermanyssus gallinae and chewing lice infestations in chickens

Contract No.: 14.993/12.07.2019 // 315/12.07.2019

Institution: Universitatea de Științe Agricole și Medicină Veterinară Cluj-Napoca (University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Cluj-Napoca, Romania)

Principal investigator: Dr. Adriana György (Senior Lecturer / Șef lucrări)

Study period: 2019 – 2021, conducted across multiple research stages (Stage I, Stage VII, Stage VIII)

Products evaluated: Ectocid Natural Spray (ENS), Ectocid Natural Powder (ENP), Herba-Top Ecto-Plus (HTEP, incl. batch/lot 2)

‍

Study Summary Table

‍

References

1. György, A. (2019). Raport Științific Etapă 1: Evaluarea eficacității acaricide și insecticide a unor produse naturale în infestațiile cu Dermanyssus gallinae și păduchi malofagi la găini – Etapă I: Evaluarea efectului acaricid "in vitro." Universitatea de Științe Agricole și Medicină Veterinară Cluj-Napoca, Contract No. 14.993/12.07.2019//315/12.07.2019. Unpublished institutional research report.
2. György, A. (2020). Raport Științific Etapă VII: Evaluarea efectului acaricid a unor produse naturale în infestația cu Dermanyssus gallinae la găini ouătoare din sistemul intensiv de creștere. Universitatea de Științe Agricole și Medicină Veterinară Cluj-Napoca, Contract No. 14.993/12.07.2019//315/12.07.2019. Unpublished institutional research report.
3. György, A. (2021). Raport Științific Etapă VIII: Evaluarea efectului acaricid a produsului Herba-Top Ecto-Plus lot 2 în infestația cu Dermanyssus gallinae la găini ouătoare din sistemul gospodăresc de creștere. Universitatea de Științe Agricole și Medicină Veterinară Cluj-Napoca, Contract No. 14.993/12.07.2019//315/12.07.2019. Unpublished institutional research report.