Biosecurity practices in commercial and house hold poultry farms in the Delta region, Egypt: I- Correlation between level of biosecurity and prevalence of poultry mites

The risk of parasitic disease outbreaks among commercial poultry farms can result in significant economic loss for the farmer and the integration. These diseases can be reduced by the proper application of biosecurity measures. This study primarily aimed at assessing the current biosecurity practices applied in different kinds of poultry farm (broiler, layer, duck and mixed farms) in Kafrelshiekh Governorate (Delta region), Egypt. Correlating the compliance of the studied biosecurity measures with the prevalence of poultry mites in the surveyed farms was the second aim. For achieving these aims, on-farm questionnaire surveys and observational studies were conducted from January 2017 to August 2018 in 74 poultry farms (46 broiler chicken ,8 layer ,6 duck and 14 mixed) from both farm systems: commercial farm based (CFB) (representing 56.7%) and house hold based (HHB) (43.24 %). A total of 148 samples (74 litter and 74 dust samples) were taken for mite isolation. The results showed that Commercial based (CFB) broiler farms have a higher level of biosecurity than house hold based (HHB) farms and the only biosecurity program clearly known to most farm owners is cleaning and disinfection. Ornithonyssus bursa, known as the "tropical fowl mite" was isolated from both farm types with a higher prevalence in HHB farms (75%), and there was a positive correlation between bad hygiene and the prevalence of mites in the surveyed farms. The current survey results can give stake holders and policy makers an idea about the current situation of the level of biosecurity application in both HHB and CFB farms in the studied area.