Widespread exposure to infectious bronchitis virus and Mycoplasma gallisepticum in chickens in the Ga-East district of Accra, Ghana

Infectious bronchitis, a major challenge to the global poultry industry, is an acute and highly contagious disease of the respiratory and urogenital tract of chickens which causes significant economic losses to poultry producers. In addition, Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) is another respiratory pathogen that remains a concern to producers. This study investigated the sero-prevalence of IBV and MG in commercial chickens in Ga-East district of the Greater Accra Region, Ghana, using sera obtained from 440 broiler and layer chickens showing no signs of disease. IBV and MG specific antibodies were determined using commercial ELISA kits. Majority (85%) of the samples tested positive for at least one of the 2 pathogens investigated, with 30% testing positive for both. Overall sero-prevalence of IBV and MG were 85.5 and 29.5% respectively suggesting a higher IBV than MG field challenge in the study area. IBV prevalence was significantly higher in layers (100%) than broilers (42%). Age of bird had a significant influence on IBV prevalence among broilers. The MG prevalence in layers and broilers were 39.4 and 0% respectively. This data supports the need to institute control measures to mitigate IBV associated losses and improve poultry production in Ghana