Salmonella enterica Newserovar Abeokuta Genome Sequence, Strain OG19FER4 Isolated from Poultry Feed in Nigeria.

This report announces the genome of a newly confirmed Salmonella serovar (Salmonella enterica serovar Abeokuta) that was isolated from a poultry feed sample collected on a farm in Abeokuta, capital of Ogun State in Nigeria. Salmonella Abeokuta has not been identified outside Nigeria, nor does it appear to be a cause for concern for animal and human health.

Perceptions and practices of farmers of indigenous poultry towards Salmonella infections in North-Central Nigeria.

Background: Salmonella infections continue to be of global concern to poultry health, productivity, and public health. About 44% of the poultry in Nigeria are indigenous and kept in close interaction with farmers who are mostly rural dwellers and have limited access to veterinary and extension services. Aim: The perceptions and practices of farmers of indigenous poultry toward Salmonella infections were assessed to obtain and document baseline data that can be used to create awareness among farmers about these infections and their attendant public health implications. Methods: A cross-sectional approach using a multistage sampling method was used in this survey. A total of 419 farmers keeping indigenous poultry were interviewed using a pre-tested electronic questionnaire in three randomly selected states within North-Central Nigeria. Data were analyzed using descriptive and regression analysis. Results: Out of the 419 respondents, 138 (32.9%), 141 (33.7%), and 140 (33.4%) were from Benue, Kwara, and Plateau States, respectively. Of the 419, 55.4% were females, 40.8% were above 40 years, and 35.8% have over 10 years of farming experience. The majority of the poultry are not housed (58.5%) and farmers predominantly rear chickens (51.8%). Also, 49.9% of the birds were 1-6 months with 41.5% of the flock sizes being 11-20. Respondents had a poor level of perception toward Salmonella infection as the majority did not know that Salmonella affects poultry (89.3%) and that Salmonella infections are zoonotic (94.5%). Significant (p = 0.000) associations existed between categorized perception score and age, educational status, family size, and farming experience of farmers. There were significant (p = 0.000) associations of categorized practice scores with gender, age, education status, family size, and farming experience of farmers. Conclusion: This study has revealed the poor perception of farmers on Salmonella infections and has highlighted their practices. There is a need to raise awareness about these infections to improve indigenous poultry health and productivity as well as public health.

Avian leukosis virus subgroup - J as a contaminant in live commercially available poultry vaccines distributed in Nigeria.

Globally, vaccines are used to prevent and control the menace of infectious diseases in livestock with some reported to be inadvertently contaminated with extraneous agents (EAs). With the aim of screening and characterizing for some selected EAs, 44 live viral poultry vaccines were randomly selected based on availability. The vaccines comprised 14 manufacturers in 10 different countries including Nigeria were screened by Polymerase Chain Reaction. In 9% (4/44) of the vaccines, contamination with only avian leukosis virus (ALV) subgroup J (ALV-J) was recorded. Other exogenous ALV subgroups, chicken infectious anemia and infectious laryngotracheitis viruses were absent. The EAs was found in infectious bursal disease (n = 1), Fowlpox (n = 2) and Mareks disease (n = 1) vaccines. Phylogenetic analysis of the ALV-J env gene showed clustering with contemporary group I and II. The result underscores the importance of screening vaccines to avoid the introduction and spread of EAs that could pose a threat to poultry production.

Investigation of potential risk factors associated with Salmonella presence in commercial laying hen farms in Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: In 2012/13, the Federal government of Nigeria approved the surveillance of salmonellae in commercial poultry farms with the aim of generating baseline data for the development of a control programme. That baseline provided an opportunity to investigate potential risk factors in commercial layer farms. METHODS: Five hundred and twenty-three farms were evaluated for the presence of Salmonella. Each farmer was interviewed through a structured questionnaire. Univariate analysis identified 26 variables potentially associated with Salmonella presence on the farms, with different levels of significance. To simultaneously evaluate the effect of these variables, a multivariable logistic regression model was implemented. RESULTS: Farmers that are member of the Poultry Association of Nigeria (PAN) emerged as a risk factor, as well as being farmer as exclusive occupation. The risk of Salmonella increased in farms with a combined housing system as compared to farms with a single housing system. Moreover, in terms of farm management the use of plastic egg crates had a higher risk of Salmonella presence compared to paper crates. Higher risk of contamination was also identified in farms having regular contact with animal health workers, since this could be indicative of animal health problems requiring continuous assistance. Farms with no previous outbreak of salmonellosis were associated with an increase risk, since most of the farms in this category were newly established. With regard to feeding, the use of coccidiostats and commercial feeds were associated with the spread of Salmonella. Unexpectedly, the presence of other farms at distances further than 1 km away was associated with an increase in Salmonella presence as compared to farms which were in closer proximity. Close proximity among farms could favour the application of stricter biosecurity measures. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the survey can be considered a baseline for implementing effective measures aimed at reducing the Salmonella prevalence in Nigerian laying hen farms.