Newcastle Disease in Free-Living and Pet Birds

Abstract

INTRODUCTIONNewcastle disease (ND) has economic and ecologic impact on pet and free-living as well as on domestic birds. Virtually all of the approximately 8,000 species of birds seem to be susceptible to infection with Newcastle disease viruses (NDVs).A precise and detailed review of the abundant literature published since the first report on ND by DOYLE (54) is impeded by several obstacles:Casuistic reports contain quite frequently only anecdotal information on clinical signs and pathological lesions. Transmission experiments using the same species of birds from which the isolate was recovered are either not performed at all or are done with birds of unknown immune status with respect to NDV and/or other agents.Quite a number of articles have been published in languages for which an authorative translation is not easily available. This review will deal with publications in the official languages of the World's Veterinary Poultry Association. If available, English abstracts of papers in other languages were also considered.The identification of affected birds is sometimes given only as the vernacular name or specified in latinized names and/or systematic categories, which are no longer in use or have been modified often since the publication of original papers. Nomenclature and taxonomy of birds has been subject to change in the past and probably will be modified in the future. Volatile terminology of names and taxons creates difficulties in asigning hosts to current established systematic categorit:s. This paper makes use of the systematic list of birds published by WOLTERS (241 198Strains which are highly pathogenic for the domestic chicken are evaluated in most of the reports. It is only in the last two decades that NDVs are described which are not pathogenic for chickens or any other species of birds. These viruses were mostly obtained within the frame work of avian influenza A surveillance studies.Many papers contain limited experimental data which fail to unequivocally prove that the isolated agent is indeed NDV, ego paramyxovirus (PMV)-I and not a member of the other proposed serotypes 2 to 9.Most of the early isolates are lost or have been passaged unknown times in ill-defined culture systems making a detailed and meaningful re-examination with currently available techniques impossible. This fact demands again the foundation and maintenance of an internationally operating reference laboratory.Despite of these shortcomings it is attempted in this review to summarize briefly the epizootiology and the main characteristics -with respect to the host species of birds -of the various clinical forms and pathological manifestations of ND in birds. For questions relating to virus isolation and characterization, disease prevention and control by immune prophylaxis the reader is refered to the respective chapters of this monograph. EPIZOOTIOLOGYSignificant spread of NDV may occur along three major routes: (a) Movement of live domestic poultry, poultry products (meat, eggs, feathers etc), offal and manure; (b) movem...

Isolation and characterization of genotype XIII Newcastle disease virus from Emu in India

“…The etiological agent of ND is avian paramyxovirus type-1 (APMV-1), a member of the genus Avulavirus of the subfamily Paramyxovirinae in the Paramyxoviridae family under the order Mononegavirales [11,13,16]. In addition to domestic avian species, natural or experimental infections with ND virus (NDV) has been demonstrated in at least 241 species in 27 orders, and it is highly probable that all birds species are susceptible to NDV [8]. Based on the virus virulence, all strains of NDV are categorized into three major pathotypes viz., lentogenic (low virulence), mesogenic (moderate virulence) and velogenic (high virulence).…”

Newcastle disease in ostriches (Struthio camelus) — a review

“…Kaleta & Baldauf (1988) list three reports of infections of lesser rheas (Rhea americana ) with ND virus in which the predominant signs were neurological, but respiratory and enteric signs were also recorded. Heckert et al (1999) infected two 4-to 12-month-old emus (Dromaiius novaehollandia e ) oronasally and by eye-drop with the mesogenic ND strain Roakin, and reported mild signs of decreased appetite and green faeces between 4 and 10 days after infection.…”

“…Most bird species with this anatomical feature are placed in the Struthioniformes, but other unrelated birds, such as the New Zealand kiwi, also lack keels and are therefore "ratites". Kaleta & Baldauf (1988) concluded that ND virus infections have been established in at least 241 species of birds representing 27 of the 50 orders of the class. It seems probable that all birds are susceptible to infection, but, as stressed by Kaleta and Baldauf, the disease seen with any given virus may vary enormously from one species to another.…”

A molecular epidemiological investigation of avian paramyxovirus type 1 viruses isolated from game birds of the orderGalliformes

“…NDV can also infect many wild bird species including cormorants, wild ducks, starlings, penguins and wild waterfowl (Lipkind et al, 1987;Takakuwa et al, 1998;Kuiken, 1999). Kaleta & Baldauf (1988) reviewed NDV isolations from all bird species and recorded that NDV infections have been established and detected in at least 241 species of birds, representing 27 of the 50 orders of the class Aves. It would seem probable that all birds are likely to be susceptible to infection with this virus (Alexander, 2009).…”