Abstract

Indigenous breed of domestic chickens have been identified as an appropriate tool for eradication poverty and hunger because of the ease at which poor people can acquire, grow and consume or sale the meat and eggs of these animals. The production of these chickens is largely constrained by disease especially, velogenic Newcastle disease (ND) which have the potential of wiping out an entire susceptible chicken population. Foundational to the control of ND in local breed of chickens in every community is the need for baseline information. Such information is scanty in Bauchi State even though the state is one of the major producers of these chickens in Nigeria. The aim of this study is to determine the seroprevalence of ND and also detect Newcastle disease virus (NDV) for the purpose of understanding the presence and distribution of the disease in the State. This study was conducted among 1085 village chickens from nine (9) randomly selected communities in Bauchi State, Nigeria. The seroprevalence of ND by Haemagglutination inhibition test was 36.4%. Matrix gene of ND virus (NDV) was also detected from 29.9% of 281 pooled cloacal swabs of the same chickens. The result indicates that ND virus (NDV) and its antibodies were widespread among village chickens in these communities. Vaccination is suggested as an appropriate control measure to protect chickens against a possible attack by a velogenic strain of NDV in chickens from these communities.

Key words: Newcastle disease, seroprevalence, molecular detection, domestic breed of local chickens, Bauchi State.