Detection of Chicken Respiratory Pathogens in Live Markets of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and Epidemiological Implications

Simple Summary It is unclear what microorganisms are associated with respiratory disease in chickens sold in live markets of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Identifying microorganisms in diseased animals is the first step to delineating programs to control disease spread. Two Addis Ababa markets were visited weekly for three months to understand better the microorganisms found in chickens with respiratory disease. During this time, 18 sick chickens were acquired and tested for common microorganisms that cause respiratory disease in chickens. Three or more microorganisms, including viruses and bacteria, were detected in 17 of the 18 cases, showing that detection of multiple pathogens is widespread in live markets. These microorganisms possibly cause substantial productive loss in Ethiopia. Further studies are warranted to investigate their contribution to disease and economic losses in the country. A moderate to high seroprevalence of exposure to Newcastle disease (NDV), avian metapneumovirus (aMPV), infectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV), infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) and Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) has recently been reported in Ethiopia, but it is unclear to what extent these contribute to clinical cases of respiratory disease. This study investigated the presence of these pathogens in chickens exhibiting respiratory disease in two live markets in Addis Ababa. Markets were visited weekly for three months, and 18 chickens displaying respiratory clinical signs were acquired. Swab samples were taken from the choana, trachea, air sac and larynx for bacteriology and PCR tests targeting these five pathogens. PCR-positive samples were sequenced. All 18 chickens were PCR-positive for aMPV, 50% for each of Mg and NDV, 39% for IBV and 11% for ILTV. Infections with >3 pathogens were detected in 17 of 18 chickens. Potentially pathogenic bacteria such as Escherichia coli, Klebsiella spp., Streptococcus spp. and Staphylococcus were found in 16 to 44% of chickens. IBV-positive samples were of the 793B genotype. The results associate the presence of these organisms with clinical respiratory disease and are consistent with recent serological investigations, indicating a high level of exposure to multiple respiratory pathogens.