Prevalence of avian paramyxovirus-2 among domestic fowl species in Bulgaria in 2013 and 2014

Abstract

The haemagglutination inhibition (HI) test is used for testing 1258 blood sera from four avian species (hens and broilers, turkeys, partridges and geese) for detection of post infection antibodies against avian paramyxovirus -2 (АРМV-2). The samples were collected from 14 regions in Bulgaria from fowl reared in 27 farms (commercial laying hens, commercial broilers, commercial laying turkeys and game breeding station with partridges) -15, 9, 2, 1 samples, respectively. Another 11 samples were obtained from backyard poultry (laying hens, laying turkeys, laying geeses) -8, 2, 1 birds respectively. Positive results from tests were established in sera from backyard geese, from commercial broilers, commercial laying hens, and partridges (75%, 12.96 %, 7.81 % and 5.17 % respectively). In studied farms with hens and broiler chickens, positive samples from broilers predominated (88.89 %), while the prevalence on laying hen farms was 66.67 %. Positive samples were detected in 10 (71.43 %) out of the 14 surveyed regions. Antibody titres varied from 1:4 (log 2 2) in hens, broilers and geese, 1:16 (log 2 4) in partridges and attained 1:32 (log 2 5) in broilers, 1:64 (log 2 6) in geese and partridges and 1:128 (log 2 7) in laying hens. Among geese and partridges, samples with titres 1:16 (log 2 4) were predominating -60 % and 66.67 %, followed by broilers with titres 1:8 (log 2 3) -37 % and hens with titres 1:4 (log 2 2) -47 %.