Assessment of antibody responses to Newcastle disease vaccination in Nigerian indigenous chicken lines selected for sheep red blood cell antigen

This research was carried out to evaluate serum haemagglutination inhibition antibody titres to a Newcastle disease virus vaccine in two Nigerian indigenous chicken lines selected for sheep red blood cell antigens. One hundred Nigerian indigenous chickens were used. These chickens belonged to the fourth generation of flock that had been divergently distinguished into a high antibody titre chicken line (HATC) and a low antibody titre chicken line (LATC). Chicks were given a NDV vaccine at six weeks of age, while blood samples were collected from each chick at seven days post-administration. The antibody titres of chicks were determined through a haemagglutination inhibition test and the data collected were subjected to analysis of variance using SAS 9.2 version. It was found that sex had no significant effect on the antibody titre values (p>0.05), while the genetic line and sex by genetic line interaction had significant effects on the antibody titre values. Female chicks of LATC recorded a significantly lower ND antibody titre (4.21+0.47) compared to HATC females (8.04+2.02). Also, male chicks of LATC recorded a significantly lower ND antibody titre (4.26+1.20) compared to HATC males (7.25+0.48). Meanwhile, there was no significant difference between male and female chicks of LATC as well as between male and female chicks of HATC. Based on the differences observed in ND antibody titres between the genetic lines, emphasis should be placed on policies to develop HATC and LATC along ND resistance. Therefore, we recommend that when considering ND infection which exerts substantial losses to the poultry industry, HATC should be favoured over LATC.