Molecular Detection of Newcastle disease virus in broiler breeder flocks

Background: The Newcastle disease virus (NDV), is a severe, systemic, and contagious viral avian disease that causes infection in many domestic and wild bird species and is considered a global threat to the poultry industry worldwide. This study demonstrate the innovation in the use of molecular techniques for the rapid and accurate identification of New Castle virus in poultry samples in Iran. Materials & Methods: A total of ۷۴ sick and dead chickens (۵۳ broilers and ۲۱ layers) of different ages (۱ week to >۱۵ weeks) were collected from ۹ selective poultry farms (۴ broilers and ۵ layers). Trachea and caecal tonsil samples were collected. The samples were inoculated into embryonated chicken eggs. The RT-PCR reaction was applied to detect the F gene of NDV in allantoic fluids. Results: Out of ۷۴ field samples, ۱۴ (۴ broiler and ۱۰ layer) were positive by RT-PCR assay. ۱۸.۹۱ % of the tested samples were positive for the NDV strain in the study area. The results are in line and similar to previous reported isolates in Iran. Conclusions: The current study indicates that molecular (RT-PCR) techniques, which allow rapid identification of most samples, are reliable, sensitive, specific and more accurate methods to detect the viruses for the confirmatory diagnosis of diseases. A large-scale characterization of several isolates is required at the national level.

کلیدواژه ها:

Clinical diagnosis ، NDV ، RT-PCR assay ، Chickens ، Molecular Detection