Newcastle Disease Antibodies in Apparently Healthy Wild Birds in Kogi State, Nigeria

A survey was carried out to determine the presence of Newcastle disease (ND) antibodies in wild birds from 12 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Kogi State, Nigeria. The families of wild birds that were captured alive and blood obtained from them include Apodidae, Hirundinidae, Columbidae, Psittacidae, Sylviidae, Muscicapidae, Ciconiidae and Accipitridae. The haemagglutination inhibition (HI) test and enzyme link immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were used to detect ND antibodies from sera of the wild birds. The overall seroprevalence of ND in wild birds by HI test was 29.2% with mean antibody titre of 2.69±0.51 log2 while the seroprevalence was highest in Ankpa, Ofu and Olamaboro LGAs each with 50.0% and lowest in Adavi, Mopamuro and Okene LGAs with 0.0%. Hirundinidae had the highest ND seroprevalence of 50.0% by HI test, followed by Apodidae with 33.3%, Columbidae with 23.1% and lowest in Accipitridae, Psittacidae, Muscicapidae, Ciconiidae and Sylvidae with 0.0% while 18.9% of the wild birds’ sera had antibody titre $7 log2. Using ELISA, the same sera from wild birds were analyzed with the overall seroprevalence of ND in free flying wild birds being 27.1% with mean antibody titre of 11.06±1.28 ELISA Units. The seroprevalence of ND using ELISA in wild birds was highest in Ankpa LGA with 42.9% and lowest in Mopamuro and Okene LGAs with 0.0%. Also using ELISA, the seroprevalence of ND among wild bird families was highest in Accipitridae with 66.7%, followed by Hirundinidae with 38.9%, Apodidae with 33.3%, Columbidae with 15.4% and lowest in Psittacidae, Muscicapidae, Ciconiidae as well as Sylvidae with 0.0%. The presence of ND antibodies in wild birds was an indication of natural exposure and the presence of wild type ND viruses in wild birds in Kogi State. It is recommended that vaccination of rural poultry should be encouraged, backyard poultry should be screened from wild birds and scavenging rural poultry.