Knowledge of poultry diseases, biosecurity and husbandry practices among stakeholders in poultry production in Kogi State, Nigeria

Commercial poultry production is low in Kogi State even before the advent of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI H5N1) outbreak in Nigeria. The low level of poultry production has persisted long after the socio -economic impacts of HPAI had improved. A study was conducted among 94 poultry stakeholders in the state with the use of questionnaire to assess their knowledge of poultry diseases, biosecurity and poultry husbandry practices in six Local Government Areas of Kogi State. The findings showed that 60.0% of poultry production was rural while the rest were backyard (semi commercial) poultry. About 64.7% of poultry kept were under extensive management with the commonest diseases seen under this management system being Newcastle disease (62.9%), Coccidiosis (52.3%), Fowl pox (46.9%), Gumboro disease (39.1%) and Fowl typhoid (36.1%). Biosecurity was poor as 92.9% of respondents did not have footbath or hand wash disinfection; 70% would throw away poultry litter in the refuse dump; 12% would use the poultry litter as manure while 11% would sell out the litter. In addition, 64.7% of the poultry farmers obtained their rearing stock from the live bird market and other unknown sources while only 35.3% obtained theirs from the hatchery. The findings of this study showed that the low level of commercial poultry production in Kogi State might be due to the impacts of diseases and poor husbandry practices undertaken by the farmers. It is recommended that government should train poultry farmers on biosecurity, disease prevention and the adoption of modern husbandry practices suitable for the traditional poultry production system

Survey for Newcastle disease viruses in poultry and wild birds in Kogi state, Nigeria

Newcastle disease (ND) outbreak even in the face of vaccination is a common problem in Nigeria. A survey was carried out between June, 2012 to February, 2013 to detect ND viruses in poultry and wild birds in 12 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Kogi state, Nigeria. Oropharyngeal swabs from 710 poultry and cloacal swabs from 100 species in eight families of wild birds were tested using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction with set of primers targeting the ND virus matrix protein with 60.5% swabs being positive. The prevalence of ND viruses was highest in live bird market with 62.5% and lowest in backyard farm with 57.7%, while based on species of birds, Swallow (Hirundo spp.) had the highest prevalence with 83.3% and zero in Laughing dove (Streptopelia senegalensis). The χ2 value of the prevalence of ND viruses in contiguous areas A against contiguous areas B was significant (χ2 =6.59, p≤ 0.01, OR = 4.10 at 95% CI = 1.34 – 12.28). The study revealed the circulation of ND viruses in poultry and wild birds in Kogi state. This is the first report of ND viruses in Hirundo spp and Swift (Apus spp) in Kogi state, Nigeria. There is need for sequencing of the F-protein of the ND viruses circulating in Kogi state to compare with already known strains in Nigeria. Vaccination against ND should be stepped up in backyard poultry and instituted in rural poultry for effective control.Keywords: Backyard poultry, Newcastle disease viruses, RT-PCR, Swallow and Swift, Wild bird

Sero-Prevalence of Avian Influenza, Newcastle and Gumboro Disease in Chickens in Kogi State, Nigeria

A survey was carried out in chickens from backyard farms, rural flocks and live bird markets in six local government areas of Kogi state to study the epidemiology of three viral diseases of high economic importance in Nigeria. A total of 750 sera were collected and screened for evidence of antibodies to Avian Influenza, Newcastle and Gumboro disease viruses. An overall prevalence of 22.4% and specific prevalence of 26.0% were obtained for avian influenza in the live bird market chickens using the agar gel immunodiffusion test. Antibodies to Newcastle disease using haemagglutination inhibition test gave an overall prevalence of 25.6% with a mean titre of 1.39±0.088 and a unit specific prevalence of 36.7% (2.07±0.233) for rural chickens with 74.5% of the chickens surveyed having antibody titre <4 log2. Overall seroprevalence for Gumboro using agar gel immunodiffusion test was 16.3% with highest unit specific seroprevalence of 21.3% among chickens from live bird market. The study reveals that Avian Influenza, Newcastle and Gumboro disease viruses are circulating among chickens in Kogi state and the negative impacts of these diseases may explain the low level of commercial poultry production in the state

Examining the control of bird flu risks among Nigerian poultry producers: implication for effectiveness of biosecurity knowledge, attitude, and practices (EBKAP)

This study examined socio-economic and behavioral factors affecting Nigerian poultry producers' biosecurity practices in terms of knowledge about bird flu symptoms, beliefs about safe practices, and handling products as well as perception on disease risk transmission. The study is a result of incidence of bird flu in Nigeria, which affected the livelihood of poultry producers. The study used a survey design. The choice of location and population of study (Kano, Lagos, and Anambra states) was based on bird flu disease risk map and population of small-scale poultry farmers in Nigeria. The study used both descriptive and causal analytical tools to achieve the specific objectives of the study. The major findings were that producers with higher knowledge were able to make more informed and rational assessment of true disease spread risks, KAP indices are not important in explaining the actual biosecurity decisions of the Nigerian producers. The study also found that adoption of biosecurity actions depends on flock size (which related to income), educational level of farmers, and incidence of bird flu previously in the area. In addition, smaller and poorer producers adopt fewer biosecurity actions, thus they are considered to be riskier in terms of disease transmission. The study therefore, recommended among other things a well-planned education programs to improve knowledge of bird flu symptoms, nature of disease, how to prevent and control them especially the small-scale poultry producers. This is likely to improve overall good practices of handling poultry and reduce the risk of disease spread of a variety of poultry diseases as well as the health consequences it poses to both animals and humans