Fungal/mycotic diseases cause significant economic losses to the poultry industry either due to theirdirect infectious nature or due to production of mycotoxins, the secondary fungal metabolites produced in grains orpoultry feed. Several fungi have created havoc in the poultry industry and some of them cause direct harm to humanhealth due to their zoonotic implications. They are responsible for high morbidity and mortality, especially in youngbirds and cause stunted growth and diarrhea; and fatal encephalitis. Mycotic dermatitis is a possible health hazardassociated with poultry houses. Mycotoxins are the leading cause of producing immunosuppression in birds, whichmakes them prone to several bacterial and viral infections leading to huge economic losses to the poultry industry. Incomparison to bacterial and viral diseases, advances in diagnosis, treatment, prevention and control of fungaldiseases in poultry has not taken much attention. Recently, molecular biological tools have been explored for rapidand accurate diagnosis of important fungal infections. Effective prevention and control measures include:appropriate hygiene, sanitation and disinfection, strict biosecurity programme and regular surveillance/monitoring offungal infections as well as following judicious use of anti-fungal drugs. Precautionary measures during cropproduction, harvesting and storing and in feed mixing plants can help to check the fungal infections including healthhazards of mycotoxins/mycotoxicosis. The review describes the fungal pathogens causing diseases in poultry/birds,especially focusing to their diagnosis, prevention and control measures.
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