Natural and experimental infections of quails (couturnix couturnix japonica)‎ with newcastle disease virus

Abstract EN

This study was carried out to clarify the susceptibility of quails to the infection with Newcastle disease (ND) virus and its possible role in the epidemiology of the disease.

Also to locate the virus in tissues and organs of naturally and experimentally infected quails.

Isolation and characterization of the ND virus quail strain from naturally infected quails was done.

Twenty diseased quails aged 3 weeks-old, showing mild respiratory and nervous manifestations were obtained from the farm of the Faculty of Agriculture, Suez Canal University that was suffering 10 % morbidity and 1.6 % mortalities, were investigated.

NDV was isolated from 3 birds out of them.

The isolated strain was mesogenic and used for experimental study.

The experimental infection caused deaths in 25 % of the experimented quails after one week.

The serological tests including HI, HA, AGPT and inoculation in specific pathogen free (SPF) embryonated chicken eggs (ECE) were used for diagnosis and virus isolation along this study.

In addition, gross and histopathological investigations of different organs were carried out.

All changes in the HI titres, and changes in the body tissues were recorded.