Molecular epidemiology of Newcastle disease virus

Newcastle disease virus continues to be a threat to the poultry industry worldwide. The disease has become more pronounced in resource constrained households that rely on backyard poultry system as a source of income and animal protein particularly in under developed countries including Uganda. This study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of Newcastle disease virus in apparently healthy birds, identify the Newcastle disease virus pathotypes and genotypes circulating in Uganda and to compare the regional distribution of these strains in live bird markets in Uganda. Six hundred fifty (each of cloacal and oropharyngeal swabs) samples were collected from live bird markets in all the regions of Uganda. The samples were processed and inoculated in 10-day old embryonated chicken eggs and incubated for 72 hours. Allantoic fluid was harvested and tested for the presence of Newcastle disease virus using hemagglutination and hemagglutination inhibition tests.