Serological detection of the presence of Newcastle virus in suspected broiler flocks in Khuzestan province

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Forough Talazadeh 1
Ramezan Ali Jafari 1
Mahdi Pourmahdi Borujeni 2
Marziyesadat Hosseini 3
1 1- Department of Livestock, Poultry and Aquatic Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran.
2 Department of Food Hygiene, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran
3 Department of Livestock, Poultry and Aquatic Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran
10.22034/ijvcs.2026.15224.1114
Abstract
The present study was designed and conducted to investigate the serological status of broiler flocks suspected of Newcastle disease in this province. This cross-sectional descriptive study was performed on 352 serum samples collected from 42 suspected broiler flocks across 19 counties of Khuzestan province. Sampling was conducted using a cluster method, with random selection of birds exhibiting suspected clinical signs. Antibody titers against Newcastle disease virus were measured using the Hemagglutination Inhibition (HI) test, and titers equal to or greater than 8 were considered positive. Out of a total of 352 samples, 84 samples (23.86% with a 95% confidence interval: 16.41-28.31%) had positive titers. The prevalence at the city level was estimated at 52.63%, and at the flock level at 40.48%. The results of this study indicate a considerable variation in the seroprevalence of Newcastle disease across different counties of Khuzestan province. The significant differences in mean titers and prevalence rates between various regions highlight the necessity for adopting regional and specific control strategies. The prevalence of 23.86% in samples and 40.48% in flocks, along with the high frequency of clinical signs such as lethargy and sudden death, suggests active virus circulation in some areas of the province. Based on these findings, revising vaccination programs according to the local conditions of each region, strengthening biosecurity measures, and conducting regular periodic monitoring seem essential for the effective prevention and control of Newcastle disease in broiler flocks in Khuzestan province
Keywords
Newcastle disease
Serology
Broiler flock
HI test
Khuzestan province
Subjects
1.       Abraham-Oyiguh, J., L. Sulaiman, C. Meseko, S. Ismail, I. Suleiman, S. Ahmed and E. Onate (2014). "Prevalence of Newcastle disease antibodies in local chicken in federal capital territory, Abuja, Nigeria." International Scholarly Research Notices 2014(1): 796148.
2.      Absalón, A. E., D. V. Cortés-Espinosa, E. Lucio, P. Miller and C. Afonso; Epidemiology, control, and prevention of Newcastle disease in endemic regions: Latin America. Tropical animal health and production; 2019; 51(5): 1033-1048.
3.      Alexander, D. J.; Newcastle disease." British poultry science. 2001; 42(1): 5-22.
4.      Alian, S. S., A. Bahonar, T. F. Zaynolabedini, S. A. Ghafouri, A. Sadrzadeh and M. M. H. Fallah;  Occurrence of Newcastle disease in Iranian broiler farms during. 2019; 2013-2015.
5.      Allan, W. and R. Gough; A standard haemagglutination inhibition test for Newcastle disease. (1). A comparison of macro and micro methods. 1974.
6.      Commission, I. O. o. E. B. S. and I. O. o. E. I. Committee; Manual of Diagnostic Tests and Vaccines for Terrestrial Animals: Mammals, Birds, and Bees, Office international des épizooties. 2008.
7.      Dimitrov, K. M., C. Abolnik, C. L. Afonso, E. Albina, J. Bahl, M. Berg, F.-X. Briand, I. H. Brown, K.-S. Choi and I. Chvala; Updated unified phylogenetic classification system and revised nomenclature for Newcastle disease virus. Infection, Genetics and Evolution; 2019;  74: 103917.
8.      Gallili, G. E. and D. Ben-Nathan (1998). "Newcastle disease vaccines." Biotechnology advances 16(2): 343-366.
9.      Ganar, K., M. Das, S. Sinha and S. Kumar; Newcastle disease virus: current status and our understanding. Virus research; 2014; 184: 71-81.
10.  Gedara, E. A., H. A. Alseed, A. M. Kammon, A. S. Dayhum, M. A. Benothman, S. O. Al-Garib and I. M. Eldaghayes; Seroprevalence and molecular detection of Newcastle disease virus in backyard chickens in Tripoli, Libya. Open Veterinary Journal' 2020; 10(1): 80.
11.  Ghaniei, A. and N. Mohammadzadeh; Detection of Newcastle disease virus antibodies in serum of broiler chickens of Iran. Journal of Animal and Poultry Sciences; 2012; 1(1): 24-28.
12.  Hu, Z., X. He, J. Deng, J. Hu and X. Liu; Current situation and future direction of Newcastle disease vaccines. Veterinary Research; 2022; 53(1): 99.
13.  Lee, E.-K., W.-J. Jeon, J.-H. Kwon, C.-B. Yang and K.-S. Choi; Molecular epidemiological investigation of Newcastle disease virus from domestic ducks in Korea. Veterinary microbiology; 2009; 134(3-4): 241-248.
14.  Messaï, C. R., O. Salhi, A. Lounas, A. Mohamed-Cherif, R. Kaidi and K. Aït-Oudhia; Serological, clinical, and risk factors of the Newcastle disease on broilers flocks in Algeria. Veterinary World; 2019; 12(7): 938.
15.  Miller, P. J. and G. Koch; Newcastle disease. Diseases of poultry; 2013; 13: 89-138.
16.  Rezaeianzadeh, G., H. Dadras, A. Safar, M. Ali and M. H. Nazemshirazi; Serological and molecular study of Newcastle disease virus circulating in village chickens of Fars province, Iran. Journal of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Health; 2011; 3(8): 105-111.
17.  Sadrzadeh, A.; Management of Poultry Disease Prevention: Health, Husbandry, and Welfare of Broiler Chickens. Garmsar, Islamic Azad University Press; 2012.
18.  Wodajo, W., N. Mohammed, E. Tora and W. Seyoum; Sero-prevalence of Newcastle disease and associated risk factors in chickens at backyard chicken production Kindo Koisha, Wolaita zone, Southern Ethiopia. Frontiers in Veterinary Science; 2023; 9: 1089931.
Iranian Journal of Veterinary Clinical Sciences
Volume 20, Issue 1 - Serial Number 34
Spring &Summer 2026
September 2026
Pages 117-129