No abstract

Haematophagous ectoparasites of poultry, such as Ornithonyssus sylviarum, northern fowl mites (NFMs), Dermanyssus gallinae , poultry red mites (PRMs), and Ornithonyssus bursa , tropical fowl mites (TFMs) are prevalent worldwide. Although poultry farming is a major industry in Southeast Asia, there are only a few reports concerning the prevalence of avian mites in this region. In this study, we sampled twenty farms in four major poultry farming areas in Myanmar. We detected the mites on six farms, and they showed morphological similarities to NFMs and TFMs. The nucleotide sequences of cytochrome c oxidase subunit I indicated that some mites were NFMs. This is the first report confirming the presence of NFMs and TFMs among the hematophagous mites infesting chickens on Myanmar poultry farms.

Background In Southeast Asian countries, including Myanmar, poultry farming is a major industry. In order to manage and maintain stable productivity, it is important to establish policies for biosecurity. Infectious respiratory diseases are a major threat to poultry farming. Avian influenza and Newcastle disease have been reported in Myanmar, but no scientific information is available for other respiratory pathogens, such as mycoplasmas and infectious bronchitis virus (IBV). Identifying the genotypes and serotypes of IBVs is especially important to inform vaccination programs. In this study, we detected Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG), M. synoviae (MS), and IBV in several poultry farms in Myanmar. Results Samples were collected from 20 farms in three major poultry farming areas in Myanmar, and MG, MS, and IBV were detected on two, four, and eight farms, respectively, by polymerase chain reaction. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the observed MG and MS isolates were not identical to vaccine strains. Three different genotypes of IBV were detected, but none was an unknown variant. Conclusions Mycoplasmas and IBV were detected on poultry farms in Myanmar. Periodic surveillance is required to establish the distribution of each pathogen, and to institute better vaccine protocols.

Background Avian infectious laryngotracheitis (ILT) is a highly contagious viral disease that causes severe economic losses to the poultry industry worldwide. In Southeast Asian countries, including Myanmar, poultry farming is a major industry. Although it is known that infectious respiratory pathogens, including infectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV), are a major threat to poultry farms, there are no data currently available on the epidemiology of ILTV in Myanmar. Therefore, in this study, we conducted a molecular detection of ILTV in 20 poultry farms in Myanmar. Results Of the 57 tested oropharyngeal swabs, 10 were positive for ILTV by polymerase chain reaction of a 647 bp region of the thymidine kinase (TK) gene, giving a prevalence of ILTV of 17.5% (10/57). Further sequencing analysis of infected cell protein 4 (ICP4) gene and glycoprotein B, G, and J (gB, gG, and gJ) genes indicated that these isolates were field strains. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the Myanmar strains clustered together in a single branch and were closely related to other reference strains isolated from Asian countries. Conclusions This study demonstrated the presence of ILTV in poultry farms in Myanmar. The genetic characterization analysis performed provides the fundamental data for epidemiological studies that monitor circulating strains of ILTV in Myanmar.

Background Avian infectious laryngotracheitis (ILT) is a highly contagious viral disease that causes severe economic losses to the poultry industry worldwide. In Southeast Asian countries, including Myanmar, poultry farming is a major industry. Although it is known that infectious respiratory pathogens like infectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV) are the major threat to poultry farms, there are no data currently available on the epidemiology of ILTV in Myanmar. In this study, therefore, we conducted molecular detection of ILTV in 20 poultry farms in Myanmar. Results Of the 57 tested oropharyngeal swabs, 10 were positive for ITLV by PCR of a 647 bp region of the thymidine kinase (TK) gene, giving a prevalence of ITLV of 17.5% (10/57). Further sequencing analysis of infected cell protein 4 ( ICP4 ) gene and glycoprotein B, G, and J ( gB , gG , and gJ ) genes indicated that these isolates were field strains. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the Myanmar strains clustered together in a single branch and were closely related to other reference strains isolated from Asian countries. Conclusions This study demonstrated the presence of ILTV in poultry farms in Myanmar. The genetic characterization analysis performed provides the fundamental data for epidemiological studies monitoring circulating strains of ILTV in Myanmar.