Abstract

Newcastle disease (ND) poses a persistent threat to rural poultry production in Nigeria. This cross-sectional study investigated the prevalence of Newcastle disease antigen and seroprevalence of ND antibodies among rural poultry species in three Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Zamfara State’s western senatorial zone. A total of 300 samples each for cloacal swabs and sera were collected from indigenous chickens, ducks, turkeys, and guinea fowl. Newcastle disease viral antigen and antibodies analyses were achieved using haemagglutination (HA) and haemagglutination inhibition (HI) tests. The overall ND virus antigen prevalence was 59.7%, and the overall ND antibody seroprevalence was 38.0%. Chickens recorded the highest ND antigen prevalence of 64.1%, followed by ducks with 60.0%. Ducks showed the highest ND seroprevalence of 51.4%, followed by turkeys with 40%, while the chickens had the lowest seroprevalence of 35%. Female birds had a higher prevalence of 64% and a higher seroprevalence of 49.3% than the males. ND virus prevalence and antibody titres varied significantly across the LGAs, with Anka recording the highest rates. Despite widespread exposure, the mean antibody titres across all species were below the OIE-recommended protective threshold of 4.0 Log2, indicating increased vulnerability to ND outbreaks. These findings confirm that ND is circulating and endemic in the study area, posing a potential risk of transmission to commercial farms, which may lead to significant economic impacts. It also emphasizes the role played by ducks in the epidemiology of the disease. The study highlighted the need for the State government to implement ND control policies, including a statewide vaccination campaign, and recommended that further studies should be carried out to characterize the virus in this region.

Key words: Newcastle disease, Newcastle disease antigen, Rural poultry, Seroprevalence, Nigeria, Zamfara State