MOLECULAR IDENTIFICATION OF NEWCASTLE DISEASE VIRUS FROM IPB-D2 CHICKEN WITH A SUDDEN DEATH OUTBREAK

Abstract

Newcastle Disease (ND) is a highly contagious viral disease that can affect poultry. It can cause severe respiratory, digestive, and neurological symptoms that may lead to sudden death and major economic losses in the poultry industry. The aim of this study was to identify the cause of sudden death in IPB-D2 chicken through molecular detection of Newcastle Disease Virus (NDV). Samples were collected from the spleen and lung tissues of affected chickens and subjected to virus isolation, hemagglutination (HA) testing, and Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR). Virus isolation using 10 embryonated chicken eggs was performed, and all the embryos were dead. The HA test was positive in all samples, with HA titers ranging from 24 to 2?, indicating the presence of hemagglutinating virus particles. RT-PCR targeting the NDV fusion (F) gene yielded a specific amplification product of approximately 535 bp in all samples, confirming the presence of NDV genetic material. The results demonstrate that the sudden death outbreak in IPB-D2 chickens was associated with NDV infection.