Prevention of exotic diseases of

poultry through import of

poultry products and live birds

Submitted by:
Aditya Jadhav
Shylesh B
Standard Operating Procedure for
Import of Live Poultry(s) in to
India.
Pre Arrival Requirements:

• 1. Minimum 7 days before embarkation, the application form

(Annexure 15.1) will be submitted through Email by the applicant.

• 2. After examining the uploaded forms, Advance No Objection

certificate (NOC-Annexure 15.2) will be issued by the concerned
Animal Quarantine and Certification Services within 1 working day.
On Arrival at the Port of Entry

• 1. The poultry will be taken to the premises approved by DAHD for in

house quarantine and will remain under quarantine for 30 days.
During Quarantine Period

• 1. Everyday examination record will be inspected and testing reports

(for HPAI) will be updated online. Samples will be drawn under the
supervision of concerned quarantine officer. The applicant will bear
the charges for testing.

• 2. Final NOC (Annexure 15.3) will be issued in case negative test

reports are obtained for the live poultry(s) under quarantine.
During Quarantine Period

• In case of the positive testing reports, deportation/euthanisation will

be done at the cost of owner. If live poultry(s) dies, destruction will be
done at the cost of owner.
Process for Importing Live
Poultry(s) into India under
DGFT-Ease of Understanding
ANIMAL QUARANTINE &
CERTIFICATION SERVICES
• 7 working days before embarkation, applicant will submit the
following documents for Advance No Objection Certificate (NOC) from
AQCS

• Before filling application, Have to make sure that the applicant have a
valid DGFT License.
 Provisional Decision

If documents are proper

Advance No Objection Certificate (Annexure 15.2) is issued and Bill of

Entry will be cleared online by AQCS.
 Provisional Decision

If there is deficiency in documents

Applicant will be informed back with point wise reasons for rejection
(automatic response by system).

Airline will not lift the pets until advance NOC is obtained by the
applicant.
 If documents are proper

Entry given

Decision on Arrival

Live Poultry will be examined and quarantined in approved premises

(30 days) and necessary testing will be carried out.
Operations in Quarantine

• FIT cases-Final NOC (Annexure15.3) will be issued after Quarantine

period.

• If the poultry develop sign/symptoms of an infectious disease

confirmed by laboratory reports, the live poultry will be scientifically
destructed at the cost of importer.
Import of processed Poultry meat in to
India
• The consignment should accompany a Sanitary Certificate from an official
Veterinarian of the exporting country indicating that,

• The country of export is free from Avian Influenza (Highly Pathogenic Avian
Influenza and Low Pathogenic Avian Influenza).

• The product has been processed at a temperature to attain an internal

temperature of not less than 70o C for 30 minutes.

• No ingredients of ruminant/porcine origin has been incorporated during

processing.
• The source animals were not fed with feeds produced from internal organs,
blood meal and tissues of ruminant origin.

• The meat does not have residues of pesticides, drug, mycotoxins and
chemicals above the Maximum Residue Limits prescribed internationally.

• The product has never been in contact with ruminant/pork product during
processing/storage and not manufactured using the same facilities of
ruminant/pork product.
Post Import Requirements:
1. On arrival, the consignment and the documents will be examined by the
Regional/Quarantine Officer.

2. The samples will be drawn for testing for risk analysis pertaining to
diseases/pesticides/residues etc. before the consignment is released.

3. In case of positive findings, appropriate action shall be taken by the

Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries, Government of
India at the cost of Importing agency.
Importing organizations should also give
an undertaking that:

• a) At no point of time, imported product shall find way to animal food

chain,

• b) The left over product will be disposed off through incineration.

• c) The labeling of the products should be done in local/regional language

also.
EXOTIC DISEASES
NEWCASTLE (ND) / RANIKHET
DISEASE (ND)
RD is a sudden & severe, rapidly spreading disease of poultry caused
by Paramyxovirus
The disease is characterized by
-rapid onset
-respiratory symptoms
-nervous manifestations
-varying mortality
-Drop in egg production
In India, it is the most dreaded viral disease of poultry & is the
number one in causing deaths every year
Has zoonotic importance – conjunctivitis & influenza like symptoms
in humans
• Natural routes of infection – nasal, oral, ocular – emphasize
respiratory nature of disease
• Transmission :- Inhalation or ingestion
• Vertical transmission - passing of virus from parents to progeny via
embryos – contraversial
• Inhalation
• Ingestion of faeces containing virus
• Diagnosis :- Symptoms & pm findings – not considered as
characteristic
• But hemorrhages of proventricular gland tips – suggest RD
• Isolation of virus & its characterization
• Samples collected – cloacal & tracheal swabs, intestines & its
contents, trachea
• Serological tests – HI, ELISA
Prevention & control
• Basic objective : To prevent susceptible birds from getting infected or to protect
them through vaccination
• Vaccination: RD vaccines made from lentogenic or mesogenic form of virus
• Although it protects the birds , the virus growth & shedding occur at reduced level
• It is not an alternative to good management, biosecurity, or good hygiene in
rearing poultry
• 3 types of commercially available vaccines:
- live least harmful vaccine – live lentogenic
-moderately powerful vaccine – live mesogenic
- killed (inactivated ) vaccine
Live lentogenic vaccine
-Lasota, Hitchner B1, F strain, V4

Live mesogenic vaccine

-Mukyeswar (R2B), Roakin, Komarow, H

Inactivated vaccine
-inactivation done using formalin
-Route – I/m or S/C
Lymphoid leukosis (Big liver disease)
• Etiology:-certain members of the leukosis/sarcoma group of avian
retroviruses.
• Transmission :-
• Avian leukosis virus is shed by the hen into the albumen or yolk, or both;
infection probably occurs after the onset of incubation ( vertical ).

• Horizontal infection after hatching is also important, especially when chicks

are exposed immediately after hatching to high doses of virus, eg, in feces of
congenitally infected chicks or in contaminated vaccines. Horizontally
infected chickens have a transient viremia followed by antibody production.
• Clinical signs :- include inappetence, weakness, diarrhea,
dehydration, and emaciation. Infected chickens become depressed
before death.
• Diagnosis :- Standard criteria: History and clinical signs, gross
pathology, and histopathology.
• Advanced criteria: Immunohistochemistry, standard and quantitative
PCR, virus isolation, serology.
• The tumors are found in birds >14 weeks old. Histologically, the
lymphoid cells are uniform in character, large, and contain IgM and b-
cell markers on their surface.
Treatment
• No treatment or vaccines are available.
• Supportive care.
• Control :- Eradication of avian leukosis viruses from breeding flocks is the
most effective control method.
• Eradication from primary breeding stocks is the most effective means
• Breeder flocks are evaluated for viral shedding by testing for viral antigens in
the albumen of eggs with enzyme immunoassays or by biologic assays for
infectious virus. Eggs from shedder hens are discarded, so that progeny flocks
typically have reduced levels of infection.
INFECTIOUS LARYNGOTRACHEITIS
(ILT)
ETIOLOGY :- FAMILY : Herpes viridae
Subfamily : Alpha Herpesvirinae
Type : Galid Herpes virus I
Transmission
Aerosol - through upper respiratory route
Ocular route
Ingestion
Mechanical – contaminated litter and equipments
CLINICAL SIGNS

• Nasal discharge
• Moist rales followed by coughing and gasping
• Marked dyspnoea
• Expectoration of blood stained mucus
DIAGNOSIS
1. Clinical signs – High mortality, respiratory signs and Expectoration of blood
2. Gross lesions – Severe hemorrhage
diphtheritic changes
3. Histopathological examination – demonstration of Intranuclear inclsuion body
4 . Isolation and identification of the virus :
Samples : Tracheal swabs,
Laryngeal swab
Conjunctival swab
Tissue samples – trachea
PREVENTION AND MANAGEMENT
• Avoid mixing of vaccinated and recovered birds to prevent latent carriers
• Recovered birds should be quarantined
• Use of biosecurity measures
• Movement of potentially contaminated personnel, feed, equipment and birds should be restricted
• Rodent and dog control measure
• Threat posed by backyard and exhibition poultry flocks should be recognized and guarded
• Contaminated carcasses, feathers, feed, water and litter should be removed from the poultry
house
• Buildings and equipments should be washed thoroughly and sprayed with disinfectants.
• By vaccination : Modified Live vaccine
Avian influenza
• Synonyms :
• Fowl plague
• Bird flu
• Etiology :Type A influenza virus
• It has 2 sub types :
1.Viruses of low virulence
2.Viruses of high virulence –highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI)
Clinical signs
• Depend on species affected
age
concurrent infections
type of the virus
environmental factors, etc
Highly pathogenic avian influenza:

Sudden onset of 100% mortality within few days

• Depression
• haemorrhagic combs & wattles
• Rales
• Oedema of head & face
• cyanosis of comb and wattles.
Diagnosis
• Clinical symptoms
• Isolation & identification
• ELISA
• Complement fixation test
prevention
• Treating affected flocks with broad-spectrum antibiotics
to control secondary pathogens and increasing house temperatures
may reduce morbidity and mortality.
• Suspected outbreaks should be reported to appropriate regulatory
authorities.
• Culling the birds.
• Vaccines can prevent clinical signs and death.
SALMONELLOSIS in POULTRY

• Bacterial disease caused by Genus : Salmonella (F:Enterobacteriaceae)

• Pullorum Disease
Caused by Salmonella pullorum.
Acute systemic disease.
Chicks and poults.
• Fowl Typhoid
Caused by Salmonella gallinarum.
Acute/chronic septicemic disease.
Mature or Adult birds.
• Transmission :
• Horizontal transmission
• Through eggs – transovarian/vertical.
• Egg shell penetration
• Cannibalism of infected birds,etc.
Clinical Signs :-

Chicks and poults:

• Birds hatched from infected eggs – Moribund and dead birds.
• Poor growth, appear underdeveloped.
• Adherence chalky white material to vent.
• Labored breathing or gasping.     
• Blindness.
• Swelling of tibiotarsal and humeroradial and ulnar articulations.
• DIAGNOSIS :-
1. History & Clinical signs.
2. Mortality & lesions.
3. Isolation & identification of causative agents
Management Procedures :-
• Chicks and poults from disease free source.
• Isolate infected birds from rest.
• Keep birds in cleaned and sanitized environment.
• Use feed ingredients free of Salmonella gallinarum & Salmonella pullorum.
• Introduction of sound biosecurity programme.
• Poultry houses should be free flying birds proof & vermin proof & insects
proof.
• Potable drinking water/chlorinated water must be used.    
• Avoid mechanical carriers of the organisms.   
• Proper disposal of dead birds is essential.
Vaccination :-  

• 1.  S.gallinarum killed bacterim (US), live modified vaccines.

• 2. 9R strain as live oral/inj. vaccine with or without oil adjuvant.
• 3. Membrane proteins from S.gallinarum or mutant strains of
S.gallinarum.
• 4. Virulence plasmid cured derivative of S.gallinarum.
COCCIDIOSIS
• Spread mechanically by many different animals, insects, contaminated
equipment, wild birds, and dust.
• CLINICAL SIGNS :- Rapid onset of mortality
• Bloody droopings
• Reduction in weight gain
• Death may be due to gangrenous or ruptured caecal pouches in some
cases
• Emaciations, listless and inactive birds
Disinfection and Sanitation???
1) There have been too many failures in such programs
2) Oocysts are extremely resistant to common disinfectants
3) Complete house sterilization is never complete
4)An oocyst-sterile environment for floor-maintained birds could prevent
early establishment of immunity and allow late outbreaks.
In addition to disinfectants normally used in poultry houses, specific
products have been used to target the oocyst for destruction.
A product available in some countries contains an ammonium salt and
sodium hydroxide
Important measures for effective control :-

• Raising genetically resistant birds

• Nutrition supplementation like vit, A, K, low protein diets and
selenium.
• Better sanitation and management
• Reduce exposure of birds to infection
• Medication either prophylactic or curative
• Immunization
REFERENCES
• Livestock Importation Act, 1898 amended in 2001
• Standard Operating Procedure for Import of Live Poultry(s) in to India.
ind-live-poul-gd.pdf (usda.gov)
• Procedure for import and export of livestock | Department of Animal
Husbandry & Dairying (dahd.nic.in)
THANK YOU