A Longitudinal Study of Epidemiological occurrence of Antidodies Against Newcastle Disease Affecting Village Indigenous Chickens in Boro and Jarso of Ethiopia

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Date

2012-04-20

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Addis Ababa University

Abstract

A longitudinal study to monitor epidemiological occurrence of antibodies against Newcastle disease (ND) virus, potential risk factors for these occurrence and outbreaks in scavenging village chickens was conducted in eight villages within two districts of Oromia region. A total of 985 blood samples were collected from 800 individual birds in 400 household chicken flocks during two sampling periods. None of the birds enrolled in the study was vaccinated against ND. A haemagglutination inhibition (I-II) test was used to determine antibody titres against ND virus. The bird-level ND seroprevalence pooled across all samplings was 11.1 %, while accounting for each season 10.1 % and 13.8% of wet season and dry season, respectively. The bird-level incidence rate for the period between the first and the second sampling was 4.3%. The flock-level ND seroprevalence (at least one bird tested had antibodies against ND virus) pooled across all samplings was 19.4%. The result indicated that village chickens in Horo and Jarso were exposed to ND virus; there was a higher seroprevalence of infection in Jarso than Horo despite insignificant association either in flock-level or bird-level. Univariant risk factor analyses indicated that flock-level seroprevalence of ND was significantly associated with different market-sheds, villages, offering of rain feed, frequency of contact during wet season, mode of waste disposal, and housing (p<0.05). None of the factors investigated was significantly associated with bird level incidence. Management had significant association with disease outbreak. Thus, despite occurring year round; in current study outbreaks during rainy season were mainly due to management factors and severe at times of climatic stress and had been known to worsen the outcome of the outbreak. The experimental study investigated the effect of concurrent parasitic and viral diseases on the immune response; as well as differences in protection between indigenous ecotype and improved breeds of chickens. This was done using the antibody response towards ND vaccine virus in both chickens ecotypes/breed with and without parasites. Multivariant analysis showed that there was a significant reduction in NDV specific antibody production post vaccination in individuals with parasites compared to antihelmintic treated chicken in both breeds. However, this finding confirmed that there was a significant dramatic reduction in NDV specific antibody production post vaccination in indigenous ecotype compared to improved breeds (p< 0.05). Though breeds differ genetically in their immune responsiveness to the antigen, and being protected following challenge; difference in their susceptibility to the virulent challenge virus needs to be ruled out.

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Keywords

Incidence, Indigenous, ND, Outbreak, risk factor, seroprevalence

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