Potential risk factors for avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) transmission in Southern African chicken flocks: A review

Abstract

Avian colibacillosis, caused by avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC), appears to be of increasing concern in both poultry and human health in Southern Africa, but no conclusive studies on the potential risk factors associated with its spread in the region have been conducted. The aim of this narrative review was to assess the potential risk factors in light of APEC transmission. Information about these potential risk factors was gathered using well known scholarly databases such as Web of Science, Scopus, ScienceDirect, PubMed, and Google Scholar. Anthropogenic factors, poultry housing conditions, access to contaminated water and feed, exposure of poultry to viral or other pathogens, and proximity of poultry farms to other poultry farms or other animals, have all been identified as potential risk factors. Researchers and poultry farmers will be better informed about the risk of transmission and ways to prevent the spread of APEC in the region as they gain a deeper insight of the underlying factors, resulting in increased savings and improved animal and human health.