Iranian Journal of

Background and Objectives: Influenza is an acute, highly contagious disease of a variety of both domestic and wild bird species. The aim of this study was to estimate subclinical infections or previous exposure to H5 and H7 subtypes and to discover potentially important determinants of the prevalence of this disease in industrial and backyard poultry in Iran.

Methods: A survey was conducted from September to December 2014 in Iran using a cross-sectional design throughout the entire country. The Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) was used as the screening test and all ELISA-positive samples were examined with the HI test to differentiate H5 and H7. A total of 1378 places and 31547 birds were sampled.

Results: One place (bird garden) out of 1378 was positive for the H7 subtype and six places (2 bird gardens, 3 villages, and 1 ostrich farm) out of 1378 were positive for the H5 subtype on HI test. The results of this study showed that the presence of a lake (OR=12.20, CI 95% 2.19-68.09) and live bird marketing (11.73, CI 95% 1.32-104.42) were risk factors for the H5 subtype.

Conclusion: Sampling migratory waterfowl birds is recommended for early detection of probable infections and preventing the spread of infection to the backyard and industrial poultry because of their role in the transmission of the disease and probability of circulation of the virus.

Background and Objectives: Salmonella contamination of broiler breeder farms is of great importance regarding transmission of the bacteria through the production chain of poultry meat. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and management related factors of Salmonella contamination in broiler breeder flocks in Iran.

Methods: This cross sectional study was carried out between 2013 and 2014 in 23 provinces of Iran. Fecal samples were obtained from 139 broiler breeder farms and were subjected to standard bacteriological tests for Salmonella isolation. The serogroups of isolated Salmonella were determined using standard serological tests. Relevant information of sampled holdings was acquired from the GIS system and used for risk factor detection.

Results: The prevalence of Salmonella contamination in broiler breeder holdings was 7.9% and the more positive samples were from Tehran and Fars provinces. The flock age (P = 0.019) and the number of poultry houses in the farm (P = 0.037) were major risk factors of Salmonella contamination in broiler breeder farms.

Conclusion: This investigation showed that the prevalence of Salmonella contamination in broiler breeder farms was relatively high. It is necessary to establish an appropriate program for controlling Salmonella contamination in broiler breeder farms. Regular sampling for early detection of contaminated farms would be very important in this case. Sampling from old flocks should be the first priority.