Abstract
The present research work was carried out to detect and isolate Newcastle Disease Virus (NDV) from apparently healthy chickens and evaluate their role in Newcastle disease outbreak.A survey on the prevalence of Newcastle Disease Virus (NDV) was conducted in six Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Benue State, Nigeria. A total of 250 cloacal and tracheal swabs were collected from apparently healthy chickens from commercial farms, Live Bird Markets (LBMs) and village households. Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) was used to detect Newcastle Disease Viruses (NDV) while viral isolation was performed using embryonated chicken eggs. The overall detection rate for ND Viruses (NDVs) was 12% (30/250). Newcastle disease viruses were detected in all sampling units with the highest viral detection of 16.1% (9/56) from chickens in LBMs. The overall NDV isolation rate was 20% (6/30), isolates were from Kwande and Makurdi LGAs with village chickens from LBMs (55.6%) recording the highest isolation rate. Chickens from LBMs, Kwande and Makurdi LGAs may serve as sources of NDVs to those in commercial farms and village households. The vaccination of village chickens should be considered as important in the control of ND in Benue State, Nigeria.
Highlights
Newcastle Disease (ND) is a highly contagious viral disease affecting domestic and wild birds (Seal et al, 2000; Alexander, 2003)
24 villages and nine Live Bird Markets (LBMs) were selected from the Local Government Areas (LGAs) based on advice from Avian Influenza Control Project (AICP) Desk Officer of each LGA and the consent and readiness of poultry farmers to participate in the study
Swabs from chickens in Oju, Otukpo, Gboko and Katsina-Ala LGAs were negative for Newcastle Disease Virus (NDV) while those from
Summary
Newcastle Disease (ND) is a highly contagious viral disease affecting domestic and wild birds (Seal et al, 2000; Alexander, 2003). Due to the severe nature of ND and its related consequences, NDV is included in “LISTED” agents (reportable disease) by the Office International des Epizootics (OIE), (2008, 2012) (Aldous and Alexander, 2001; Boynukara et al, 2013). The whole genome is 15 kb and encodes six major proteins, namely: RNA polymerase (L), haemagglutinin-neuraminidase (H/N), fusion protein (F), matrix protein (M), Phosphoprotein (P) and Nucleoprotein (NP) (de Leeuw and Peeters, 1999; Aldous and Alexander, 2001). Virulence of NDV is mainly determined by the amino acid sequence surrounding the Fusion (F) protein cleavage site (de Leeuw et al, 2005)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
