Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Study into Newcastle Disease

Research into Newcastle Disease, which is a particularly nasty disease for chickens is being undertaken through a project of the Poultry Co-operative  Research Centre.

The severity of the clinical signs of ND is influenced by the strain of virus and the age, condition and species of the bird. Clinical signs in poultry range from a mild, almost inapparent respiratory disease to a very severe depression, drop in egg production, increased respiration, profuse diarrhoea followed by collapse, or long-term nervous signs (such as twisted necks) if the birds survive. Death rate can be up to 100 per cent in severe (virulent) forms of the disease. The incubation period is usually 5 – 6 days, but can vary from 2 – 15 days.

Strains of ND virus that cause no disease, known as avirulent, low virulence or lentigenic strains, are common in Australian poultry flocks.

Direct sunlight destroys the virus in about 30 minutes.

More details on the CRC website at http://www.poultryhub.org/2013/02/pathogenicity-of-newcastle-disease/

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