Seroprevalence of Mycoplasma synoviae and Mycoplasma gallisepticum at Batna Commercial poultry farms in Algeria

Aim: The present study was undertaken to know the seroprevalence of Mycoplasma synoviae (MS) and Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) in broiler and layer chickens in the area of Batna, eastern Algeria. This investigation was conducted during the period from 2008 to 2011. Materials and Methods: A total of 505 sera samples were collected and tested by serum plate agglutination (SPA) test using Mycoplasma gallisepticum and Mycoplasma synoviae antigens (Soleil Diagnostic) to detect the presence of antibodies against MS and MG. Results: The overall prevalence of MS and MG infection in the 27 flocks visited in this investigation were recorded as 66.33% and 69.90% respectively. Seroprevalence of MG infection was found significantly (p< 0.05) higher during winter season (61.48%) than in summer (47.74%) while MS infection is more dominant in summer (91.25% against 46.69%). Again this was recorded in different age groups, with significantly higher occurrence in young compared to adult with 85.14% in layer hens and 90.73% in broiler chickens. On the other hand, the seroprevalence of MG and MS infection was found little (p> 0.05) higher in large flocks (76.97%) in comparison to small flocks (63.63%). The highest prevalence (76.59%) of mycoplasmal infection in layer hens was found in Lohman strain. Conclusion: It has been found that MG and MS infections are still important disease problems in poultry farms in Algeria.