Investigation of Proportionate Prevalence of Newcastle Disease in Chicken, Pigeon and Duck at Selected Veterinary Hospitals in Bangladesh and India

Newcastle Disease (ND) is an acute, mild to severe, highly infectious and pathogenic disease of domestic poultry, caged and aviary birds as well as wild birds caused by specified viruses of the Avian Paramyxovirus Type 1 (APMV-1) [1,2]. The disease is acute contagious which is characterized by sudden onset and rapid spread within the flock resulting high morbidity and mortality. Newcastle disease is caused by avian paramyxovirus serotype 1 (APMV-1) viruses have been placed in the genus Rubula virus, subfamily Paramyxovirinae, family Paramyxoviridae [3]. Newcastle disease virus, is a negative-sense single-stranded RNA virus. ND infections have been established in at least 241 species of birds representing 27 of the 50 orders of the class [4]. The natural hosts of NDV are domestic poultry including chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, pigeons, quail, pheasants, guinea fowl and ostriches and many species of captive caged birds and wild birds [5]. In most species of bird the young are more susceptible than the adult [6]. A wide range of avian and non-avian species act as reservoirs of NDV and transmit the disease.