Abstract:
The objective of thi
s study was to investigate the p
revalence and risk factors of fungal organisms (especially
Aspergillus sp
ecies
) in f
eeds used in poultry farms in Sokoto metropolis.
Du
r
ing
a period of 12 months (
f
rom
April 201
0 to March 2011), a total of 239 p
oultry feed samples comprising of 204 commercially prepared feeds
and 35 self
-
compounded feeds were collected from
76
identified
poultry farms in Sokoto and environs. Of the
total 80 questionnaires administered, 76 (95.00%) were responded to. Out of the total samples, fungal species
were isolated from 198 (82.9%) comprising of commercially prepared 163 (79.9%) and self
-
compounded 35
(100.0%) feed samples. A total of 258 fungal isolates were identified out of which 136 (52.7%) were
Aspergillus
sp
ecies.
The most prevalent species were
Aspergillus fumigat
u
s
80
(58.8%) followed by
Aspergillus flavus
56
(41.2%). Since
Aspergillus species
are among the leading mycotoxigenic fungi, this study reveals that a
potential exists for the production of mycotoxins that may be of both veterinary public health significance and
its attending economic losses.
