MOLECULAR CHARACTERIZATION OF NEW CASTLE DISEASE VIRUS

ISOLATE FROM PEACOCK (PAVO CRISTATUS)

Sagar A. Khulape, Satish S. Gaikwad, Aravind S. Pillai, Nitin M. Kamble,

Sanjeev Kumar Shukla, Sunil Kumar Pradhan, C Madhan Mohan and Sohini Dey.
Recombinant DNA Laboratory, Indian Veterinary Research Institute,
Izatnagar, U.P. (India)-243122

Newcastle disease virus (NDV) classified under genus Avulavirus, family

Paramyxoviridae can affect more than 230 species of birds with wide geographical distribution
and pose significant potential threat to domestic poultry industry. The role of wild and migratory
birds in the transmission of NDV remains a subject of debate and constantly being implicated for
emergence and outbreak of novel virus pathotype in commercial and backyard poultry. Any
exotic or transboundary strain of NDV is a serious biosecurity threat to indigenous poultry flock
of the country. Here we report detection and characterization of NDV isolated from peacock in
the Rewari district of Haryana State in India. The virus detection was done by RNA isolation and
RT-PCR amplification of 254 bp region involving fusion protein cleavage site (FPCS) of the
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virus. Sequence analysis of FPCS revealed the velogenic nature of virus having RRQKRF117
dibasic amino acid cleavage site, a characteristic motif of virulent virus. Phylogenetic tree
constructed by aligning FPCS sequence of virus isolate and sequence obtained from Genbank
shown that the isolate belongs to genotype II of avian paramyxovirus class II and is different
from the strains that are isolated and characterized from the wild birds in Pakistan during the
same time frame. The present work underlines the dynamic evolutionary status of NDV strains
circulating in wild avian population of Indian subcontinent. Further surveillance and
characterization is needed to monitor and control the reemerging and pandemic risk associated
with NDV.

Keywords: Paramyxovirus, Newcastle disease, FPCS, Phylogeny

 Dr. Sagar Ashok Khulape
Ph.D. Scholar
Division of Veterinary Biotechnology
Indian Veterinary Research Institute
Email: virtualsagar4max@gmail.com