DiscussionThe aim of this investigation was to characterize the current system of poultry production and marketing in rural areas of Gharbiya, Egypt, in order to enable policy makers to design and implement disease surveillance and control strategies that are effective and adapted to the local habits and conditions of the region. The results show that more than 80% of households in the study population own poultry and that most of them raise several species at the same time and in the same place. Keeping more than one species of poultry in the same place is a risk factor for many poultry diseases such as HPAI H5N1, which is often asymptomatic in ducks and geese and can silently transmit the disease to other birds. other poultry species (Swayne, 2007). In Egypt, since the first outbreak of HPAI H5N1 in early 2006, the disease is still circulating in the poultry population and has become endemic despite the efforts and resources mobilized by the government to control the disease. This failure in controlling AI in poultry in Egypt may be due to the implementation of control measures that may not be suitable for current poultry production systems characterized by low biosecurity. Another indication of the failure to control H5N1 HPAI outbreaks in poultry is the increasing number of human cases (WHO 2010). Domestic poultry such as chickens, ducks, and geese are known reservoirs and sources of many zoonotic pathogens that can be transmitted to humans. either by direct contact with infected poultry, or by consumption of contaminated poultry products. Using AI as an example, domestic poultry provide an important link between wild birds and humans in the emergence and transmission of highly pathogenic strains of AI that can potentially infect...... middle of paper . ..... Live poultry markets have been found to be major points of contact between live birds and humans and potential sources of viral amplification and spread of infection (Kung et al. , 2007; Kung et al., 2003; Fielding et al., 2005).ConclusionsPoultry production and marketing in Egypt constitute a complex system. Any control program must take into account: the characteristics of local production systems, the habits, knowledge and perception of risks of the local population. More detailed studies are needed to better understand poultry production and marketing in Egypt, as well as follow-up studies to assess the effectiveness of control policies for review and improvement. There should be coordination and collaboration between general veterinary services, veterinary research institutes, diagnostic laboratories and veterinary schools in different regions of Egypt..