Husbandry Practices and Outbreak Features of Natural Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1 in Turkey Flocks in Nigeria 2006-2008

The Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) outbreaks in Nigeria that occurred during 2006-2008, affected 80 farms that kept subsistence indigenous chicken, duck, turkey, guinea fowl and geese in 15 states of the country including the capital, Abuja resulting in a total loss of more than 14,000 bir...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors Olatunde Babatunde Akanbi, Victor Olusegun Taiwo
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Scienceline Publication 2015
Subjects
Animal culture
HPAI Outbreak
Husbandry
SF1-1100
SF600-1100
Turkey
Veterinary medicine
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Summary:The Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) outbreaks in Nigeria that occurred during 2006-2008, affected 80 farms that kept subsistence indigenous chicken, duck, turkey, guinea fowl and geese in 15 states of the country including the capital, Abuja resulting in a total loss of more than 14,000 birds in backyard, semi-intensive or free-ranged flocks. The rearing of rural poultry in free-range, multispecies, multiage holdings that have low biosecurity levels have shown to expose them to many contact risks. In order to sustain turkey production in the country in view of the ongoing resurgent HPAI outbreaks, it is necessary to assess the impact of HPAI on this species and to evaluate the husbandry and outbreak features of affected flocks. Spatial data confirmed the presence of HPAI virus in both domestic and commercial poultry farms from 25 States and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Nigeria were added to a Geographical Information System (GIS) using ESRI ArcGIS 10.3 (ESRI®, USA) and QGIS 2.8.2 Desktop (OSGeo) and visualized using QGIS. Post mortem examinations of submitted carcasses were carried out and swabs and tissues were analyzed by virus isolation (VI) and reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). HPAI in turkey flocks were mostly in northern part of the country where most poultry mainly subsistence are domiciled and are more in the densely cities of the north. The poultry management systems employed by the subsistence turkey farmers were mainly semi-intensive backyard and free-ranged system of poultry. HPAI introduction sources vary from the introduction of new poultry species (geese and turkey) from LBM, to the death of neighborhood poultry and extension to turkey flocks and/or contact with free-ranging local chickens. It is obvious that the husbandry and the management system had influenced on the introduction of the virus and the course of the disease.
Bibliography:The Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) outbreaks in Nigeria that occurred during 2006-2008, affected 80 farms that kept subsistence indigenous chicken, duck, turkey, guinea fowl and geese in 15 states of the country including the capital, Abuja resulting in a total loss of more than 14,000 birds in backyard, semi-intensive or free-ranged flocks. The rearing of rural poultry in free-range, multispecies, multiage holdings that have low biosecurity levels have shown to expose them to many contact risks. In order to sustain turkey production in the country in view of the ongoing resurgent HPAI outbreaks, it is necessary to assess the impact of HPAI on this species and to evaluate the husbandry and outbreak features of affected flocks. Spatial data confirmed the presence of HPAI virus in both domestic and commercial poultry farms from 25 States and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Nigeria were added to a Geographical Information System (GIS) using ESRI ArcGIS 10.3 (ESRI®, USA) and QGIS 2.8.2 Desktop (OSGeo) and visualized using QGIS. Post mortem examinations of submitted carcasses were carried out and swabs and tissues were analyzed by virus isolation (VI) and reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). HPAI in turkey flocks were mostly in northern part of the country where most poultry mainly subsistence are domiciled and are more in the densely cities of the north. The poultry management systems employed by the subsistence turkey farmers were mainly semi-intensive backyard and free-ranged system of poultry. HPAI introduction sources vary from the introduction of new poultry species (geese and turkey) from LBM, to the death of neighborhood poultry and extension to turkey flocks and/or contact with free-ranging local chickens. It is obvious that the husbandry and the management system had influenced on the introduction of the virus and the course of the disease.