Seroprevalence Survey of Brucella Infections in Poultry in Selected Local Government Areas of Yobe State, Nigeria

This study determined the seroprevalence, epidemiological factors and geospatial distribution of Brucella infection in indigenous breed of chicken in Yobe State, Nigeria. Random sampling was used in selecting the locations. Blood for serum were collected from 400 chickens in two Live Bird Markets and tested using mRBPT and SAT (EDTA). Coordinates of these markets were taken by a single click using a handheld GPS machine. Seroprevalence of 21.0% (mRBPT) and 18.0% (SAT-EDTA) from mRBPT positive samples were obtained which were not statistically significant based on locations (p>0.05). Seroprevalence by sex was 19.5% and 88.4% for male chickens using mRBPT and SAT-EDTA respectively and 21.8% and 84.6% for female chickens using mRBPT and SAT-EDTA respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in seropositivity by sex and test type (p>0.05). Adult chickens had seroprevalence of 20.5% and 84.5% using mRBPT and SAT-EDTA respectively while 20.8% and 100.0% were obtained in the young using mRBPT and SAT-EDTA respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in the seroprevalence by age (p>0.05). Geospatial map showed a distribution between 0.8% to 3.3% in the sampled areas. The study demonstrated infection by Brucella species in indigenous breed of chickens of both sexes and ages in Yobe state using mRBPT and SAT-EDTA. There is the need to create more awareness for stakeholders in the poultry industry in the State on the mode of transmission and prevention of the disease in order to reduce the menace that can be caused by the disease. Key words: Seroprevalence, Brucella infection, epidemiological factors, geo-spatial mapping