Abstract
Backyard poultry farms in Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) play a vital role in providing food and income for rural communities. There is currently no information on the presence and circulation of pathogens in backyard poultry farms in T&T, and little is known in relation to the potential risks of spread of these pathogens to the commercial poultry sector. In order to address this, serum samples were collected from 41 chickens on five backyard farms taken from selected locations in Trinidad. Samples were tested for antibodies to seven priority pathogens of poultry by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Antibodies were detected in 65% (CI 95%: 50–78%) of the sampled birds for Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV), 67.5% (CI 95%: 52–80%) for Infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV), 10% (CI 95%: 4–23%) for Newcastle disease virus (NDV), 0% (CI 95%: 0–0%) for Avian influenza virus (AIV), 0% (CI 95%: 0–0%) for West Nile virus (WNV), 31.7% (CI 95%: 20–47%) for Mycoplasm gallisepticum/synoviae and 0% (CI 95%: 0–0%) for Salmonella enterica serotype Enteritidis. These results reveal the presence and circulation of important pathogens of poultry in selected backyard farms in Trinidad. The results provide important information which should be taken into consideration when assessing the risks of pathogen transmission between commercial and backyard poultry farms, as well as between poultry and wild birds.
Highlights
Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) has a large and thriving commercial poultry industry and is self-sufficient in meat and egg production [1]
No antibodies against Avian influenza virus (AIV) and West Nile virus (WNV) were detected in the birds
This study confirms the presence of Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV), Newcastle disease virus (NDV), Infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) and M. gall/synoviae in unvaccinated backyard poultry in T&T and provides no evidence for the circulation of WNV and serotype enteritidis (SE) in the birds
Summary
Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) has a large and thriving commercial poultry industry and is self-sufficient in meat and egg production [1]. It is estimated that over 37 million chickens were slaughtered for consumption in T&T in 2016 [2]. The country has a significant number of small backyard poultry farm operations on both islands, which historically has been a source of food as well as a hobby for owners [3]. Backyard farms are considered to be small holdings of poultry on family dwellings with approximately 3–100 birds. The products from backyard farms are commonly used for home consumption and for small scale selling within local communities. Backyard farmers often rear mixed poultry flocks along with other animal species. The birds are usually free range and are typically
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