HAEMATO-BIOCHEMICAL CHANGES AND PREVALENCE OF ZOONOTIC BACTERIA ISOLATED FROM MARKETED INDIGENOUS CHICKENS IN KIAMBU COUNTY, KENYA

P. Wamboi*, J. Nguhiu-Mwangi, P. G. Mbuthia, R. M. Waruiru and L. C. Bebora

ABSTRACT

This study investigated the safety status of indigenous chicken sold in markets of Kiambu County Kenya, mainly for human consumption and the likely associated haemato-biochemical changes. Thirty chickens were purchased from the county markets, the body condition assessed and manifesting clinical signs recorded. Swabs for bacteriology using conventional methods, were aseptically taken from the cloaca, oropharynx, liver and spleen. Forty-seven percent (47%; 14/30) of the chicken were in a poor state, 43% (13/30) in fair, and only 10% (3/30) exhibited good body condition. Ten bacteria genera were identified from 244 isolates in the four organs. The cloaca had (102/244; 41.8%), the oropharynx (113/244; 46.3%), the spleen (22/244; 9.0%) and liver (7/244; 2.9%). Escherichia coli were the most prevalent (93.3%) while Serratia and Pseudomonas were the least prevalent (3.3%) each. Relative to normal values the mean basophil and band cells were significantly high (p=0.05; p=0.001) in chicken with bacteria in the liver. Both mean serum ALT levels (p=0.0005) and mean Band cells value (p=0.0014) were significantly high in chicken with bacteria in the oropharynx. This study demonstrated that the marketed chickens were carriers of known pathogenic and zoonotic bacteria, example; Escherichia coli, Streptococcus agalactiae, Listeria monocytogenes, Campylobacter coli and jejuni. Presence of bacteria in the liver and spleen indicated bacteremia which may contribute to alteration of haemato-biochemical parameters of sub-clinically infected chickens. These findings are expected to facilitate and encourage hygienic handling of poultry meat to avoid cross-infection and co-infection, and use of clinical-pathology to measure poultry health status for enhanced disease diagnoses.

Keywords: Bacteria isolates, indigenous chicken, zoonoses, market cross-infection, haemato-biochemical.