Seroprevalence of Newcastle disease virus antibodies in village chickens in the three senatorial zones of Plateau State, Nigeria

The most common cause of death in village chickens is Newcastle disease (ND). A study was conducted to evaluate the seroprevalence of ND in the three senatorial zones of Plateau State using the haemagglutination inhibition (HI) test. Blood samples were collected from 389 village chickens of various ages and sexes that were maintained on extensive system of management in nine Local Government Areas (LGAs) across the three Senatorial zones. The overall seroprevalence of ND virus antibodies in village chickens was found to be 36.8% which differed statistically (p > 0.05) between LGAs, with the highest prevalence of 8.7% (CI: 6.3–11.9) and lowest prevalence of 1.5% (CI: 0.7–3.3) in Bokkos and Qua’an Pan LGAs, respectively. Also, seroprevalence of NDV antibodies differed significantly (p > 0.05) between the three senatorial zones, with 17.5% (CI: 14.0-21.6) in the Northern senatorial zone and 6.7% (CI: 4.6-9.6) in Southern senatorial zone. In the three senatorial zones of Plateau State, this study found prevalence of ND virus antibodies in village chickens. There is a need to increase awareness regarding the importance of vaccinating village chickens to protect them.