Newcastle Disease Virus

Newcastle disease (ND) is a highly contagious and often severe disease found worldwide that affects birds including domestic poultry. It is caused by virulent strains of avian paramyxovirus type 1. The disease appears in three forms: lentogenic or mild, mesogenic or moderate and velogenic or very virulent, also called Newcastle disease. The lentogenic strains are very widespread but cause few disease outbreaks. It usually presents as a respiratory disease, but depression, nervous manifestations, or diarrhoea may be the predominant clinical form. Newcastle disease, in its highly pathogenic form, is an OIE listed disease and must be reported. ND can present a clinical picture very similar to avian influenza, so laboratory testing is important to confirm the diagnosis.

Clinical signs

The clinical signs in affected birds can vary. The disease can be present in a very acute form with sudden onset and high mortality or as a mild disease with respiratory distress or a drop in egg production as the only detectable clinical signs. A sub-clinical (asymptomatic) form of Newcastle disease and many intermediate forms of the disease can also occur. The main signs are:

· sneezing

· nasal discharge

· coughing

· greenish, watery diarrhoea

· depression

· muscular tremors

· drooping wings

· complete paralysis

· swelling of the tissues around the eyes and in the neck

· sudden death

· increased death loss in a flock

· in laying birds there can be partial to complete drop in egg production; and production of thin-shelled eggs

Disease transmission:

Inhalation (aerosol) and ingestion (contaminated food and faeces) are the most common routes of transmission.

Disease prevalence:

Currently, ND is present in six of the seven continents of the world and remains endemic in many countries of Asia, Middle East and Africa and Central America and in several parts of South America.

How to control the disease

An outbreak will be controlled in line with the contingency framework for exotic notifiable animal diseases.

There is a legal requirement for all poultry keepers with 50 or more birds to register their premises on the Great Britain Poultry Register. The voluntary registration of premises with fewer than 50 birds is encouraged. 

The Notifiable Avian Diseases Control Strategy sets out the disease control measures we would take if Newcastle disease was suspected or confirmed in the UK. 

How to detect the disease

INTENDED USE

The Newcastle Disease Virus Antigen Rapid Test is a lateral flow immunochromatographic assay for the qualitative detection of Newcastle Disease Virus antigen (NDV Ag) in avian serum, secretions or spleen.

Assay Time:  10-15 minutes

Specimen:  Serum, secretions or spleen

TEST PROCEDURE

- Dip the swab stick from the bird’s eyes, trachea, cloaca to collect the secretion. Please make the swab wet sufficiently.

Insert the wet swab into the provided assay buffer tube. Agitates the swab to assure good sample extraction.

- If blood sample, it is suggested to collect 0.5-1.0mL of blood and do a centrifugation at 1000 rpm. Use the serum directly in the assay.

- Take out the cassette from the foil pouch and place it horizontally.

- Suck the sample extraction liquid or serum and place 3 drops into the assay sample hole “S”.

- Interpret the result in 10 minutes. Result after 30 minutes is considered as invalid.