Biosecurity assessment and seroprevalence of relevant poultry diseases in Saint Kitts commercial poultry premises.

Saint Kitts (St. Kitts) and Nevis is a federation of two islands located within the West Indies. St. Kitts is anecdotally known to have commercial egg production, but disease prevalence and biosecurity practices of these farms have not previously been studied. In this study, we evaluated biosecurity practices of 11 commercial farms through a biosecurity questionnaire given to the farmers and collected blood and oropharyngeal swab samples from birds at each farm to evaluate disease prevalence. All surveyed egg-layer farms had deficiencies in conceptual, structural, and procedural biosecurity. Favorably, most workers used dedicated farm shoes and clothes and limited visitors. The inadequate cleaning of houses, handling of mortality, and multi-age facilities raised concerns for disease transmission. For seroprevalence, antibodies against avian influenza virus (AIV), Newcastle disease virus (NDV), infectious bronchitis virus (IBV), and Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica serovar Enteritidis (SE) were detected using ELISA kits. Most farms had positive antibodies to IBV (90.9%, 10/11), AIV (81.8%, 9/11), and all farms were positive for SE and NDV (100%, 11/11). Molecular testing for NDV and AIV antigen detection were negative. Chicks imported from hatcheries in other countries received vaccinations for IBV and NDV, suggesting that chicks are transmitting vaccinal strains when integrated into multi-age layer houses. SE seroprevalence in all farms, paired with poor nest availability, egg sanitation practices, and ineffective house cleaning raise food safety concerns. The results of this study highlight the need for disease prevention programs in St. Kitts commercial poultry production, to safeguard both animal and human health.