DefinePK

Abstract

Newcastle Disease (ND) is a viral, fatal and contagious disease that causes severe economic losses to poultry industry. It causes respiratory, neurologic and enteric problems in chicken. The current study was intentioned to isolate, identify and characterize Newcastle Disease Virus from 50 samples taken from a number of poultry farms of Punjab. The NDV was isolated by inoculating 9-11 days old embryonated eggs with the suspected samples and was confirmed through Heamagglutination Assay (HA). Out of 50 samples, 40 were positive and then subjected to PCR using cDNA for isolating the Fusion (F) gene and the Haemagglitinin-neuraminidase (HN) gene. Nine positive samples were sent for gene sequencing and then phylogenetic analysis using NCBI BLAST was carried out, which provided relationship among other previously characterized Newcastle disease virus isolates especially the isolates of Genotype VII that is endemic in Pakistan, India China, Indonesia and Egypt. It was concluded that while HN gene showed close relationship with previously detected isolates, F gene isolates although having wide difference among each other yet showed close relationship with previously detected isolates.