Epidemiological Assessment of Poultry Diseases (Newcastle Disease in particular) and Pattern of Antibiotics Prescribed at the Selective Veterinary Hospitals in Bangladesh

Abstract

Poultry sector is one of the growing and promising enterprises in Bangladesh. However, infectious disease is one of many challenges in this sector. Therefore, assessing different hospital-based clinical cases of poultry is much helpful to know disease status and their diversities. A descriptive clinico-epidemiological study was therefore conducted on different clinical cases of poultry with the special focus on Newcastle disease (ND) registered in Teaching Veterinary Hospital (TVH) of Chittagong Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Bangladesh during 17 November 17 to 11 January 2018 and in Upazilla Veterinary Hospital (UVH) of Upazilla Livestock Office, Lohagara, Chittagong, Bangladesh during 3 February to 29 March, 2018. A total of 89 cases were considered for the study (UVH, N=59, n=41chickens, n=13 pigeons, n=4 ducks and n=1 Parrot) and TVH, N=30, n=13 chickens, n=12 pigeons, n=2 love birds and n=3 turkeys) using a newly developed case record keeping sheet. Individual bird level data along with clinical history, clinical signs, postmortem (PM) lesions, diagnosis and treatment and preventive data were recorded. Cases were diagnosed according to clinical history, observable clinical signs and or gross PM lesions. The overall proportionate prevalence (PP) of ND cases was 46.7% (n=14) in TVH of which Chicken contributed 53.9%and others poultry 41.2%, whereas the overall PP of ND cases was 13.6% (n=8) in UVH of which chicken accounted for 20.6% and others poultry 5.9%. Birds, irrespective of species, immunized with ND vaccine had lower PP than non-immunized birds (9.1% vs. 16.2% in UVH; 0% vs. 51.9% in TVH). Frequency of observable clinical signs of ND cases was recorded as torticollis (50% only in pigeon), whitish diarrhea (59.1%, all species combined), gasping and coughing (4.54% all species combined). The PP prevalence of other cases was as II | P a g e follows: 20% pigeon pox in pigeon and 6.7% Ca deficiency in chicken in TVH and 15.2% pigeon pox in pigeon and 10.1% parasitic infestation in chicken in UVH. To prevent secondary bacterial infection 45.5% ND cases were treated with ciprofloxacin (Ciproflox®), 9.1% with Pefloxacin (Pexacin®), 9.1% cases with doxycycline (Doxivet),9.1% cases with sulphamethoxazole (Cotrim vet®) and 9.1% cases without any antibiotic treatment. In conclusion, ND followed by pigeon pox was common cases in this study and there is likely chance to develop antimicrobial resistance as antibiotics were used against ND, a viral poultry disease.