As we publish the final issue in the 51st volume of Avian Pathology we conclude the journal’s Golden Anniversary year. During this year we have published a wide range of original research articles working with established pathogens such as Salmonella and Eimeria, both of which also featured in our first issue, as well as novel and emerging pathogens such as Kurthia gibsoni and new variants of infection bronchitis and infectious bursal disease viruses. In a series of reviews focusing on the future of science for poultry and their pathogens our authors have explored the many uses of ‘omics technologies, the relevance of nutrition to intestinal disease, progress towards streamlined licencing of veterinary vaccines and improved in vitro models for avian intestinal systems. Following this theme our first issue of 2023 will include a review of applications for chicken genome editing in understanding pathogens.
The year 2022 has seen two successful regional meetings of the World Veterinary Poultry Association (WVPA), delayed from 2021 by the COVID-19 pandemic. At the 1st African meeting of the WVPA in Marrakech, Morocco, Dr Ismaila Shittu delivered the African Avian Pathology lecture ‘Newcastle disease situation in Africa and control strategies’. More recently, Prof Mohd Hair bin Bejo delivered the Asian Avian Pathology lecture ‘Fowl adenovirus infections: challenges and the way forward’ at the 5th WVPA Asia meeting in Dhaka, Bangladesh. We look forward to the XXIIth full meeting of the WVPA in Verona, Italy in 2023 (https://wvpac2023.com/).
The Editorial Board of our journal has undergone some recent changes. It is my pleasure to welcome Dr Taiana Costa as a new Associate Editor, offering specialism in diseases of waterfowl and wild birds. Sadly, we also thank Drs Bénédicte Lambrecht and Elizabeth Santin for their contributions to Avian Pathology as they step down from our Editorial Board. Their time and support of Avian Pathology have been much appreciated.
Finally, as we move into 2023 it is worth considering the position of Avian Pathology within poultry research and practice, the WVPA and further afield. The way in which journals are published is changing rapidly with many making the move to fully Open Access, online only formats. At the time of writing Avian Pathology will remain a hybrid journal, offering Open Access and conventional publication in paper and online formats. However, this may need to change in the future as we evolve our remit and scope with feedback from the wider community.