Salmonella in native “village” chickens (Gallus domesticus): prevalence and risk factors from farms in South-Central Peninsular Malaysia

Abstract

Village chicken or Ayam Kampung, common to Southeast Asian countries, has always been regarded as superior in comparison to commercial broiler chicken in terms of wholesomeness and health benefits. The current study investigates the prevalence and risk factors of Salmonella among village chicken flocks from the central and southern states of Peninsular Malaysia. A total of 35 village flocks were sampled from Selangor (n = 19), Melaka (n = 10), Johor (n = 4), and Negeri Sembilan (n = 2). In total, 1,042 samples were collected; these included cloacal swabs (n = 675), eggs (n = 62), pooled drinking water (n = 175), pooled feeds (n = 70), and pooled flies (n = 60). Isolation of Salmonella from cloacal swabs, poultry drinking water, and feeds was carried out according to the protocols and recommendations of the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) terrestrial manual. The prevalence of Salmonella at an individual bird-level was 2.5% (17/675, 95% CI: 1.6 to 4.0). All eggs screened were negative; in the case of environmental samples, however, Salmonella was detected in 5.14% (9/175), 7.14% (5/70), and 5.0% (3/60) for water, feed, and flies, respectively. A total of 34 isolates and 8 Salmonella serotypes were identified. Weltevreden (20.6%) was the most common, followed by Typhimurium and Agona (17.6%), Albany and Enteritidis (8.8%), Molade (5.9%), Corvallis and Schleissheim (2.9%), and others grouped as Salmonella spp. (11.8%). Multivariable logistic regression models revealed that Salmonella positivity among flocks could be strongly predicted by storage of feeds (uncovered feeds; OR = 10.38; 95% CI: 1.25 to 86.39; p = 0.030) and uncovered water tanks (uncovered tank; OR = 6.43; 95% CI: 1.02 to 40.60; p = 0.048). The presence of Salmonella in village chickens in the study area was lower than that of commercial chickens in Malaysia.

Prevalence of Salmonella serotypes S. Enteritidis and S. Typhimurium in poultry and poultry products

“…In a similar study, Mir et al 2010 Typhimurium in 6.31% and 6.88% of poultry, respectively. Varying levels of Salmonella were isolated from live birds at 14.8% (Abdi et al, 2017) and 14.9% (Jajere et al, 2019). Such variations in the prevalence could be attributed to sampling bias, analytical precision of the testing method and the intermittent shedding nature of Salmonella in the bird droppings (Proux et al, 2002).…”

Prevalence of Select Intestinal Parasites in Alabama Backyard Poultry Flocks

“…They are not aware of the risks associated with exposing their flock to wild birds and rodents [ 3 , 8 , 9 ]. Zoonotic avian diseases such as salmonellosis are a risk for small flock owners, either by direct contact with backyard poultry flocks or by consumption of contaminated meat or eggs [ 10 , 11 ]. Low biosecurity in backyard flocks may also be an issue for commercial poultry flocks as backyard flocks can become a reservoir for pathogens [ 12 ].…”

Antibiogram Profiles and Risk Factors for Multidrug Resistance of Salmonella enterica Recovered from Village Chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus Linnaeus) and Other Environmental Sources in the Central and Southern Peninsular Malaysia

“…The design of this study, sampling, and data collection, and the process of isolation and identification have been described in our previous publication [ 75 ]. Briefly, isolates and data were obtained from a cross sectional study involving 35 village chicken farms across 4 states in central and Southern Peninsular Malaysia.…”