Duration of excretion of virulent Newcastle disease virus following challenge of chickens with different titres of serum antibody to the virus

Virulent Newcastle disease virus (NDV) was isolated from susceptible and immune chickens following intra-ocular challenge with the Essex '70 strain. Challenge virus was isolated from the trachea and cloaca of susceptible birds until they died 7 to 9 days after challenge. This virus was isolated from immunised chickens for up to 14 days after challenge. The duration of excretion was influenced by the prechallenge serum antibody titre to NDV. It persisted longest in chickens with titres of 2(3) to 2(7) and decreased in length and frequency from chickens with titres in the range 2(8) to 2(12). Chickens with pre-challenge titres of 2(3) to 2(5) developed 2- to 3- fold increases in post-challenge titres, whereas those with higher pre-challenge titres had smaller proportional increases in titre. Excretion of virulent virus from immunised birds should be considered in the development of Newcastle disease control programs.     

Comparison of the immunogenicity of Newcastle disease virus strains V4, Hitchner Bl and La Sota in chickens

The immunogenicity of three Newcastle disease virus (NDV) strains--V4, Hitchner B1 and La Sota, was assessed in chickens that had varying levels of maternal antibody to the virus. Chickens were immunised at different ages by the eye drop and aerosol methods. The immune response of chickens to similar doses of the strains was affected by the presence of maternal antibody. Both the level of maternal antibody and the strain of virus used affected the result. Strain La Sota was least affected as it took higher levels of maternal antibody to depress response to it than were required to have a similar effect on Hitchner B1 and V4. Strain V4 was the strain most affected by circulating maternal antibody. The results demonstrated that strain V4 was less immunogenic than Hitchner B1 and La Sota when used in chickens with maternal antibody to NDV.