Abstract
In some parts of Nigeria, studies have revealed avian haemosporidian infections in village chickens, some of which are considered emerging parasitic infections because chickens are unnatural hosts. Infections may have occurred as a result of accidental cross-infection via infected haemophagus arthropod vectors. This study was carried out to determine the emerging avian haemosporidian infections in Village chickens in Yobe State, Nigeria using microscopy. Blood samples were collected from 2100 Village chickens in 7 Local Government Areas of Yobe State. Microscopy revealed an overall prevalence of 13.8% (290/2100) for avian haemosporidians comprising of <i>Plasmodium</i> with 13.9% (198/2100) and <i>Haemoproteus</i> 2.4% (55/2100) as single infections. Mixed infection of <i>Plasmodium</i> and <i>Haemoproteus</i> had a prevalence of 1.8% (37/1820). Male (9.9%) had a higher prevalence of avian haemosporidian infections than female chickens (4.0%). Adults (10.4%) had a higher prevalence than growers chickens (3.4%), and prevalence was higher in the rainy (9.3%) than the dry (4.5%) season of the study period. Detection of <i>Haemoproteus</i> specie in chickens in Yobe State is considered an emergent infection because chickens are not natural host to the parasite. It is therefore recommended that Village chicken producers should be educated on the risk factors and impacts of avian haemosporidian on bird productivity through frequent agricultural extension services. More research is needed to assess the frequency of avian haemosporidian infections in other poultry species in Nigeria, in order to better understand the disease's epidemiology and develop effective management and prevention strategies.
Highlights
Poultry is raised by a large number of rural people around the world, and it serves an important economic role in delivering rich animal protein and alleviating poverty [28]
Village chickens are more likely to be subjected to bites from many types of haemophagus arthropod vectors that may host blood parasites compared to chickens raised in screened pens or restricted to intensive management systems [15, 17, 35]
The results of this study revealed a higher prevalence in males (9.9%) than female (4.0%) village chickens which was statistically significant (p
Summary
Poultry is raised by a large number of rural people around the world, and it serves an important economic role in delivering rich animal protein (meat and eggs) and alleviating poverty [28]. Small-scale chicken production operations in impoverished nations involve breeding a few birds that are not provided with contemporary housing facilities for roosting at night, scavenge around households, receive no medical attention, and are not routinely vaccinated [38]. Infectious poultry diseases such as viral, bacterial, protozoan, and parasitic diseases are a major barrier to a successful village chicken production system in developing countries [7, 15, 36, 43], but avian haemosporidian infections and their consequences in village chickens have received little attention. Because there is no published data on the prevalence of avian haemosporidian infections in village chickens in Yobe State, Nigeria, a study on the prevalence of haemosporidian infections in village chickens is needed to develop strategies for effective control programs and to improve the safety and productivity of village chickens in the study area
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