Summary
This cross-sectional survey of live bird retail stalls in Lahore District identified three independent risk factors for H9 avian influenza infection in chickens: obtaining birds from mixed sources (OR 2.28), housing birds outside cages (OR 3.10), and keeping non-broiler breeds (OR 6.27). The findings suggest that sourcing exclusively from dealers/wholesalers, confining birds indoors in cages, and maintaining single-breed flocks could reduce H9 infection risk in retail settings. The work contributes epidemiological evidence on AIV transmission pathways in a key epidemiological interface between commercial poultry and live bird marketing systems.
UK applicability
Direct applicability to UK practice is limited because live bird retail stalls are uncommon in the UK; poultry marketing operates through regulated abattoirs and packaged retail channels. However, the findings may inform UK biosecurity policy for premises that do handle live poultry (e.g. farms, smallholdings, shows) and could support international trade risk assessments for poultry sourced from high-prevalence regions.
Key measures
Prevalence odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals for H9 infection; qRT-PCR detection of influenza M gene and H9 HA subtype; survey-weighted logistic regression
Outcomes reported
The study identified risk factors for H9 avian influenza virus (AIV) infection in live bird retail stalls through serological and molecular testing of 1400 birds across 280 pooled oropharyngeal swab samples. A multivariable logistic regression model quantified prevalence odds ratios for three significant risk factors: mixed sourcing of birds, keeping birds outside cages, and housing non-broiler chicken breeds.
Topic tags
Dig deeper with Pulse AI.
Pulse AI has read the whole catalogue. Ask about this record, its theme, or how the findings apply to UK farming and policy — every answer cites the underlying studies.