Animal Nutrition & Health
Health and nutrition problems in poultry flocks are traditionally identified through changes in sight, smell and sound. By the time these signals appear, biological changes are already underway. This has raised a fundamental question for poultry veterinarians and nutritionists: can emerging issues be detected earlier, before clinical signs become visible?
Verax™ is a blood biomarker early warning system to help indicate problems in poultry flocks before clinical signs are evident. By analysing the blood and identifying the biological response of the birds, Verax™ can identify emerging issues earlier in the production cycle.
Results from rapid, on-site blood analysis testing are compared to Verax™ global database of blood biomarker information which is cross-referenced against samples that have been identified as having normal ranges and problem values. Verax™ can predict different diseases, and nutritional deficiencies and imbalances much earlier, giving veterinarians, nutritionists and live production managers information they can use to adjust treatment plans, formulations or management practices across all farms within the company production cycle.
At the beginning of the project, 85 biomarkers were identified as being of interest. Work was then carried out to determine the feasibility of testing, the associated costs, and availability of citations in peer-reviewed literature. The final list of selected biomarkers, separated into two categories, is shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1. Chosen biomarkers separated into two groups
The VetScan VS2 and the iStat Alinity devices from Zoetis were chosen to test for the selected biomarkers as they provide fast, reliable results (in 12 and 2 minutes, respectively), and cover the full range of meaningful biomarkers. During necropsy sessions, three VetScans and one iStat devices are used on site so that results are captured in real time. All data collected during a session is uploaded to the cloud on the same day so there is no delay waiting for lab results to be returned.
With Verax™, there is no delay waiting for lab results. All data is uploaded to the cloud the same day.
The sampling process involves:
It typically takes 3-4 hours to analyse 50 birds. If more birds are to be tested, more test devices should be used to ensure the process runs smoothly and without delay.
Early in the project, it became clear that no well-established ranges had been published in the literature. It was also clear that the biomarkers identified in Figure 1 were not the typical biomarkers associated with common conditions such as coccidiosis or heat stress. A series of trials were conducted to understand the impact of these conditions on the selected biomarkers, including:
These trials validated our theory that these biomarkers do indeed move in characteristic patterns in response to different challenges.
Figure 2. Illustration of the Verax machine learning model
As well as biomarker information, other data inputs are included in the model including farm data, necropsy observations, microscopic E. maxima data and bird weight and sex (Figure 2). In addition, the model looks at the 1200+ peer-reviewed publications containing information specific to blood biomarkers. The system can then search through the thousands of datapoints in the reference database plus the literature, to produce an agnostic recommendation for the nutritionist or veterinarian to consider.
The ability to quickly analyse blood on-site has opened a very valuable source of information for nutritionists. Traditionally, analysis has been focused on feed ingredients, performing proximate analysis as well as calcium, phosphorus, electrolytes and other minerals or amino acids . Blood analysis can now highlight many nutritional problems earlier than visual cues, allowing timely corrective action.
Verax™ is a support tool and does not replace the professional expertise of the veterinarian or the nutritionist. For example, while it can detect changes in Albumin:Globulin’ ratio, it cannot determine the cause of the increased immune challenge. Interpretation and diagnosis remain the responsibility of the veterinarian.
Coccidiosis is a very costly disease for the poultry industry. By the time clinical evidence is apparent, performance losses including increases in feed conversion ratio (FCR) and litter quality will already have occurred.
Verax™ can identify changes in biomarkers 7-10 days before the presentation of any clinical signs, with extremely high predictive accuracy.
Figure 3. Feed cost loss improvement with early warning from Verax™ when birds are challenged with coccidiosis
A coccidiosis challenge will typically reduce FCR by 1-2 points in the first week, reaching a peak loss of 6-7 points in the fourth week (Figure 3). For a company producing 125,000 birds per week, with a target weight of 2.2 kg and feed costs of US$385/ton, we can assume that 2 points of FCR will cost US$1570/week. Early intervention by switching to a coccidiosis vaccine or supporting the birds by including a tannin or polyphenol will reduce the impact of the coccidia challenge. In this example, early intervention reduced the economic losses by approximately US$14,200.
Cocci program: Chemical/Ionophore
Figure 4. Verax™ gross E. acervulina model with samples from a flock on a chemical/ionophore program
Figure 4 shows analysis results from 50 birds from a standard sampling session of various ages. The shaded blue area shows the expected challenge level based the Company’s current coccidiosis program. The dotted green line shows the measured prevalence from the necropsies carried out by the veterinarian. The predicted results from the blood analysis (red and green bars) showed a high E. acervulina challenge in weeks 2 and 3, even though no clinical signs were evident at that stage.
The value of Verax™ is in the early detection of challenges, before clinical signs are present. Adjustments can be made earlier to minimize losses.
Verax™ models have been developed for a number of conditions including locomotion. By pairing necropsy data with blood biomarker information, the Verax™ database now contains thousands of data points which can be referenced. As a result, the percentage incidence of lameness in a flock can be predicted using only blood biomarkers.
In large, integrated companies, it is important to sample birds from across all ages of the production cycle(Figure 5). Sampling two or three ages alone will not give a broad enough picture. Veterinarians and nutritionists are looking at the bigger picture of bird performance across the whole company rather than at the individual farm, house or bird level.
Figure 5. Typical sampling set up across multiple sites and from every age
This sampling design essentially ‘takes a picture’ of the performance under conditions of current programs; nutrition, health and management. Insights found from machine learning models and individual blood biomarkers will be applied across all farms in the production cycle to improve company performance overall.
Verax™ can be used to detect movement in particular biomarkers which are linked to mycotoxin contamination. Tests have shown a strong correlation between high uric acid and reduced albumin levels during mycotoxin infection. High uric acid and reduced albumin levels are both indicative of reduced hepatic protein production, one of the primary effects of AFB1 and fusarium mycotoxins. Rather than focusing on the difficult task of detecting the specific mycotoxin metabolites, changes in blood biomarkers can highlight the same issue.
Verax™ represents a significant advancement in poultry health and nutrition management by shifting the focus from reactive to proactive decision-making. By combining rapid on-site diagnostics with a robust biomarker database and machine learning, it enables the detection of health and nutritional challenges earlier than ever before.
This early insight allows veterinarians and nutritionists to intervene sooner, improving bird welfare, performance and economic outcomes sooner than ever before. While expert interpretation remains essential, Verax™ enhances the ability to make informed, timely decisions at both flock and system levels.
As precision livestock technologies continue to evolve, tools like Verax™ will play an increasingly important role in managing current flocks and preventing issues in future flocks, driving long-term efficiency across the poultry industry.
09 July 2026
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