Streptococcal Conjunctivitis Outbreak in Boschveld Chickens in Mozambique

Angélica Tembe, Jescka Aleixo, Sónia Pinto, Mariana Novela, Emmanuel Pedro and Custódio Bila

Reports on preventable animal diseases are rare, even though this occurs frequently in developing nations. This report highlighted the outbreak of suspected bacterial conjunctivitis in Boschveld chicken that had been transported by road from South Africa to Northern Province of Cabo Delgado. A total of 3694 chickens were used in this study and 672 mortalities occurred. Clinical signs and gross lesions of bacterial conjunctivitis were indicated in the affected birds. Streptococcus spp. was detected in the infected eyes by microbiological analysis. This succinct communication serves to: (a) Reinforce the need for strict measures to reduce chicken stress during long-distance transport, (b) Show that bacteria of the genus Streptococcus should be included in the differential diagnosis of infectious conjunctivitis in Boschveld chicken, (c) Depict the need to avoid chicken imports and depend on local production for the current and future chicken restocking projects and (d) Indicate unavoidable diseases of chickens at larger-scale.

View Fulltext Back