Volume: 56 Issue: 4
Year: 2025, Page: 666-670, Doi: https://doi.org/10.51966/jvas.2025.56.4.666-670
Received: Sept. 11, 2025 Accepted: Sept. 24, 2025 Published: Dec. 31, 2025
Newcastle disease (ND) is a highly pathogenic infectious disease of poultry, causing significant economic losses globally. Wild birds act as natural reservoir of Newcastle disease virus (NDV) and spread the virus to domestic poultry. Frequent exposure of backyard poultry to wild birds and/or their excretions increases the risk of acquiring infection from wild birds. In the present study, tracheal and/or cloacal swabs were collected from a total of 242 apparently healthy chicken and ducks from the backyards. The samples were tested for the presence of NDV using matrix (M) gene based quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), where all the samples were found negative. Virus isolation was attempted using specific pathogen free- embryonated chicken eggs (SPF-ECEs). Out of 242 samples, 22 samples (9.09%) showed haemagglutination (HA) across different passages. Genome of NDV could not be amplified in any of these HA-positive samples by using M gene-based RT-qPCR, and L- and F- genes based conventional reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). This indicates the presence of haemagglutinating agent other than NDV in the samples. Further studies are needed to identify the haemagglutinating agent detected in this study. All the samples in the present study were negative for NDV which might be due to absence of active infection during sample collection and vaccination status of the birds.
Keywords: Newcastle disease virus, backyard poultry, ducks, domestic-wild bird interface
Brown, V.R. and Bevins, S.N. 2017. A review of virulent Newcastle disease viruses in the United States and the role of wild birds in viral persistence and spread. Vet. Res. 48: 68.
Ceñidoza, A.M., Lastica-Ternura, E.A. and Umali, D.V. 2019. Serological and molecular detection of Newcastle disease virus in cattle egrets (bubulcus ibis) in Bulacan, Philippines. Philipp. J. Vet. Med. 56: 10.
Dai, Y., Liu, M., Cheng, X., Shen, X., Wei, Y., Zhou, S., Yu, S. and Ding, C. 2013. Infectivity and pathogenicity of Newcastle disease virus strains of different avian origin and different virulence for mallard ducklings. Avian Dis. 57: 8-14.
Gao, C., Ding, Z., Qian, J., Liu, X., Zhang, X., Cong, Y., Ding, C., Yu, S., Hu, S., Liu, X. and Stoeger, T. 2019. The virulence of NDV NA-1 strain regulated by the 3′ leader or 5′ trailer sequences. Microb. Pathog. 126: 109-115.
Jakhesara, S.J., Prasad, V.V.S.P., Pal, J.K., Jhala, M.K., Prajapati, K.S. and Joshi, C.G. 2016. Pathotypic and sequence characterization of Newcastle disease viruses from vaccinated chickens reveals circulation of genotype II, IV and XIII and in India. Transbound. Emerg. Dis. 63: 523-539.
Karamendin, K. and Kydyrmanov, A. 2021. Cormorants as a potentially important reservoir and carrier of Newcastle disease virus on the Asian continent. Front. Vet. Sci. 8: 648091.
Kim, L.M., Suarez, D.L. and Afonso, C.L. 2008. Detection of a broad range of class I and II Newcastle disease viruses using a multiplex real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction assay. J. Vet. Diagn. Invest. 20: 414-425.
Lu, X., Wang, X., Liu, X. and Liu, X. 2024. The multifaceted interactions between Newcastle disease virus proteins and host proteins: a systematic review. Virulence. 15: 2299182.
Marks, F.S., Rodenbusch, C.R., Okino, C.H., Hein, H.E., Costa, E.F., Machado, G., Canal, C.W., Brentano, L. and Corbellini, L.G. 2014. Targeted survey of Newcastle disease virus in backyard poultry flocks located in wintering site for migratory birds from Southern Brazil. Prev. Vet. Med. 116: 197-202.
Puro, K. and Sen, A. 2022. Newcastle disease in backyard poultry rearing in the northeastern states of India: Challenges and control strategies. Front. Vet. Sci. 9: 799813.
Rahmahani, J., Zahro, A.N., Rahmawati, I.L., Putih, N., Wulandari, I. and Abdul-Rantam, F. 2020. Nucleotide mutation analyses of isolated lentogenic newcastle disease virus in live bird market. Mol. Biol. Res. Commun. 9: 181-188.
Rajasekhar, R., Ravishankar, C., Sumithra, T.G., Sumod, K., Bhaskar, N., Aishwarya J., Shaji, S. and John, K. 2015. Isolation and molecular characterization of avian paramyxovirus – 1 (APMV-1) from a pigeon (Columba livia). In: XXXII Annual Conference and National Symposium of Indian Poultry Science Association (IPSACON-2015) on Clean and Green Poultry Production; 19th to 21st November, 2015, Thiruvazhamkunnu. College of Avian Sciences and Management. p.232. Abstract No. PPB-19 (O).
Rashi, U., Mini, M., Priya, P. M., Sankar, S. and Vijayakumar, K. 2021. Isolation and pathotyping of Newcastle disease virus isolated from birds in Kerala. J. Vet. Anim. Sci. 52: 245 249.
Ren, S., Xie, X., Wang, Y., Tong, L., Gao, X., Jia, Y., Wang, H., Fan, M., Zhang, S., Xiao, S. and Wang, X. 2016. Molecular characterization of a Class I Newcastle disease virus strain isolated from a pigeon in China. Avian Path. 45: 408-417.
Rezaeianzadeh, G., Dadras, H., Safar, A., Ali, M. and Nazemshirazi, M.H. 2011. Serological and molecular study of Newcastle disease virus circulating in village chickens of Fars province, Iran. J. Vet. Med. Anim. Hlth. 3: 105-111.
Schelling, E., Thur, B., Griot, C. and Audige, L. 1999. Epidemiological study of Newcastle disease in backyard poultry and wild bird populations in Switzerland. Avian path. 28: 263-272.
Tsunekuni, R., Ito, H., Otsuki, K., Kida, H. and Ito, T. 2010. Genetic comparisons between lentogenic Newcastle disease virus isolated from waterfowl and velogenic variants. Virus Genes. 40: 252-255.
Wise, M.G., Suarez, D.L., Seal, B.S., Pedersen, J.C., Senne, D.A., King, D.J., Kapczynski, D.R. and Spackman, E. 2004. Development of a real-time reverse-transcription PCR for detection of Newcastle disease virus RNA in clinical samples. J. Clin. Microbiol. 42: 329-338.
WOAH [World Organisation for Animal Health]. WOAH Terrestrial Manual 2021. Chapter 3.3.4—Avian Influenza (Infection with Avian Influenza Viruses). Available online: http://www.oie.int/fileadmin/Home/eng/Health_standards/tahm/3.03.04_AI.pdf
(accessed on 8 September 2025).
Zeng, T., Xie, L., Xie, Z., Hua, J., Huang, J., Xie, Z., Zhang, Y., Zhang, M., Luo, S., Li, M. and Wang, C. 2024. Analysis of Newcastle disease virus prevalence in wild birds reveals interhost transmission of genotype VI strains. Microbiol. Spectr. 12: 00816-24.
© 2025 Kumar et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in
any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Kumar, P.K.S., Ravishankar, C., Kumar, N., Rajasekhar, R., Sumod, K., Palekkodan, H., Singh, A., Jayakrishna, B., Nehru, B.S. and Kailas, P. 2025. Molecular surveillance of Newcastle disease virus in apparently healthy chicken and ducks reared at domestic-wild bird interface regions of Kerala. J. Vet. Anim. Sci. 56 (4): 666-670