Perturbations of the ileal mycobiota by necrotic enteritis in broiler chickens

Background Intestinal microbiota is critical for maintaining animal health and homeostasis. However, involvement of the fungal community, also known as the mycobiota, in animal health and disease is poorly understood. This study was aimed to examine the association between the intestinal mycobiota and the severity of necrotic enteritis (NE), an economically significant poultry disease. Methods A total of 90 day-of-hatch Cobb broilers were infected with Eimeria maxima on d 10, followed by an oral challenge with C. perfringens on d 14 to induce NE, while another 10 broilers were served as mock-infected controls. On d 17, the lesions in the jejunum were scored, and the ileal digesta were subjected to DNA isolation and real-time PCR quantification of total bacterial and fungi populations. Internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) amplicon sequencing was also performed to profile the ileal mycobiota composition. Changes in the ileal mycobiota in response to NE were investigated. Spearman correlation analysis was further conducted to identify the correlations between relative abundances of individual ileal fungi and the severity of NE. Results While the total bacterial population in the ileum was increased by 2- to 3-fold in NE chickens, the total fungal population was progressively declined in more exacerbated NE, with the most severely infected chickens showing a nearly 50-fold reduction relative to mock-infected controls. Richness of the ileal mycobiota also tended to reduce in chickens with NE (P = 0.06). Compositionally, among 30 most abundant fungal amplicon sequence variants (ASVs), 11 were diminished and 7 were enriched (P < 0.05), while 12 remained largely unchanged in NE-afflicted chickens (P > 0.05). Multiple Wallemia and Aspergillus species were markedly diminished in NE (P < 0.05) and also showed a significant negative correlation with NE severity (P < 0.05). Conclusions Dysbiosis of the ileal mycobiota is induced evidently by NE and the extent of the dysbiosis is positively correlated with disease severity. These findings suggest a possible role of the intestinal mycobiota in NE pathogenesis and highlight the mycobiota as a new potential target for NE mitigation in poultry.

Ethnoveterinary Remedies Used in Avian Complementary Medicine in Selected Communal Areas in Zimbabwe

Plant remedies used in avian ethnomedicine are potential candidates for the development of phytogenic feed additives. An ethnoveterinary survey was carried out in 3 districts in Zimbabwe to document plants used in poultry ethnomedicine and identify plants that have the potential to be used for the development of poultry phytogenic feed additives. The survey employed questionnaire-guided oral interviews with 146 smallholder farmers. Key areas of investigation and discussion were poultry production and traditional knowledge in bird health care (ethnotreatments and poultry disease control). The survey documented a total of 36 plant species cited as being useful interventions for the treatment and management of various poultry ailments/health constraints. These medicinal plants belonged to 22 families, with the Fabaceae family the dominant family. The plant species were used to treat 11 disease/health constraint categories, with the highest number of species being used for coccidiosis. Trees (44.44%) were the main reservoir of medicinal plants followed by herbs (36.11%), shrubs (8.33%), climbers (8.33%), and flowers (2.78%). Based on the results of the survey, Bobgunnia madagascariensis, Aloe chabaudii, Adenia gummifera, Erythrina abyssinica, Agave sisalana, Capsicum frutescens, Strychnos cocculoides, Aloe greatheadii, Tridactyle bicaudata, Senna singueana, Sarcostemma viminale, Morus alba, and Moringa oleifera are potential candidates for the development of phytogenic feed additives.

DISEASES OF POULTRY IN ZARIA, NIGERIA: A TEN YEAR ANALYSIS OF CLINIC RECORDS

A 10-year study of poultry diseases diagnosed at the Avian clinic of Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria was conducted. In all 2999 cases were studied. The commonest diseases afflicting poultry were Newcastle disease, 31.2%, Gumboro 12%, Ectoparasitism 7.7%, Fowl pox 6.8%, Helminthiasis 6.6% and Coccidiosis 6.1%. Most outbreaks occurred in the months of May and June with the highest incidence in 1989. Fowl pox (EP), infectious bursal disease (IBD) and coccidiosis were more prevalent during the rainy season (May-October) while Newcastle disease (NCD) and Aspergillosis were more prevalent in the dry season (November - April). More cases of chronic respiratory disease (CRD), helminthiasis and salmonellosis were found in poultry over 12 weeks old while gumboro, fowl pox and coccidiosis were found more in birds less than 7 weeks old. It was concluded from this study that viral diseases (NCD, IBD, FP) ectoparasitism and helminthiasis were the most important poultry disease in Zaria and young birds were more susceptible. The need for an effective poultry health programme is imperative. It is therefore recommended that effective and uniform vaccinations schedules should be conducted along with regular deworming and ectoparasite control to enhance poultry production

Poultry disease occurrences and their impacts in Ethiopia

Poultry production contributes significantly to the livelihoods of Ethiopian farmers and to the national economy although it is hampered by different factors, including poultry diseases. There is scarcity of published evidences on the occurrence and impacts of poultry diseases although such evidences are important for policy makers in designing appropriate interventions. A total of 595 households were interviewed and 11 FGDs were conducted to collect data on the occurrence of diseases and the number of dead chickens in the last 12 months. Hence, respiratory diseases, sudden death, and eye-face-head diseases were mentioned in all of the FGDs as the most frequently occurring disease in the districts. Of households interviewed, 86.1% reported poultry disease occurrence in the last 12 months, and gastrointestinal, eye-face-head, and neurological diseases were identified to be the top three ranked diseases of chickens in the districts. Flocks with access to diagnostic services (Adj. OR = 4.16; P = 0.004) and/or access to animal health providers (Adj. OR = 10.50; P = 0.001) were more likely to report disease occurrence. In the studied population, the diseases resulted in deaths of 2219 chickens valued at 352,219.5 Birr (11,740.65 USD) and a mean crude mortality of 31.87%. Female-lead households (mean difference = 5.95%; P = 0.018) and multiple age units present on the farm (mean difference = 20.92%; P = < 0.000) had higher chicken mortality. Similarly, higher mortality was reported in flocks without access to diagnosis (mean difference = 9.97%; P = < 0.000) and vaccination (mean difference = 12.34%; P = < 0.000) services. The high occurrence of disease and mortalities might be explained by a lack of an organized poultry health service delivery system in the country. Therefore, a carefully designed health service delivery system addressing needs of poultry producers, supported by relevant policy and corresponding strategies, is recommended to address the indicated challenges. Moreover, private health providers with well-defined roles need to be engaged to successfully and sustainably solve the poultry disease problems.

Constraints and benefits of KUB chicken cultivate in Central Java Province, Indonesia

Indonesian Agency for Agricultural Research and Development has released the KUB (Kampung Unggul Balitbangtan) chicken to increase the contribution of local chickens to the national meat supply for community’s animal protein needs. This paper aims to determine the constraints and benefits of KUB chickens cultivating in Central Java Province. Data analysis was carried out using descriptive methods with qualitative and quantitative approaches. The R/C analysis results showed that breeders would get more significant profit by raising KUB chickens (2.38) compared to local native chickens (1.72). KUB chicken farming faces several obstacles, including suboptimal productivity of eggs and chicken meat, limited availability of KUB chicken seeds, inadequate location and size of the cage, attacks of poultry disease during the transition season and low access to bank credit. Therefore, it is advisable to cultivate KUB chickens in battery cages in a broader area to optimise the productivity and minimise mortality rates. The government can encourage seed resources management unit (UPBS) and collaborate with private companies and independent breeders to carry out KUB chicken breeding to increase the availability of KUB chicken seeds. The government is also expected to facilitate an access to bank credit for KUB chicken breeders, especially for business capital.

Biosecurity Preparedness Analysis for Poultry Large and Small Farms in the United Arab Emirates

Biosecurity implemented on the poultry farms in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), in the form of preparedness against any possible outbreak of disease, is critical for farm survival, safety, and development. Little information on the status of biosecurity readiness for containing any outbreak of poultry disease is available. This study was conducted to evaluate the status of biosecurity on commercial poultry farms in the UAE. Four categories of biosecurity measures/actions: isolation, human and traffic flow, cleaning, and disinfection, and adoption of vaccination protocols were considered. All 37 licensed commercial poultry farms in the country were enrolled in the study’s survey. Cumulative Distribution Functions (CDFs) and Artificial Neural Network statistical (ANN) methods were used for ranking biosecurity on farms, including a breakdown for large and small farms, and to identify areas that require improvements. The ANN is used to correlate preparedness in the focus areas to the poultry farms’ biophysical and business characteristics, such as the number of yearly flock cycles, farm capacity, the total area of the farms, density, and the number of biosecurity workers. This study finds that more stringent implementation of vaccination protocol, isolation, and human and vehicle-flow controls for disinfection are most needed. The study also revealed that poultry farms address biosecurity preparedness differently based on the type of production on large or small farms, and for broilers or layers.

Design and Development of Poultry Disease Classification with Certainty Factor Method

Expert systems in organizations aimed at adding value, increasing productivity and managerial areas that can draw conclusions quickly. Like with organizations that conduct livestock business that are very promising but necessary high vigilance against disease as well as highly poultry susceptible to various types of diseases caused by viruses or bacteria. To know the disease quickly made a system that is useful for detecting, so breeders can check their poultry without seeing a veterinarian for early detection. Permanent Veterinarian required for further treatment.