Circulation of dominant genotypes VI and VII of Newcastle disease virus (NDV) is

causing significant economic losses to the poultry industry in China. However, reports
of Newcastle disease (ND) outbreaks caused by genotype VIII strains of NDV are
rare. In this study, a virulent genotype VIII strain of NDV, designated GXGB2011,
was isolated from a vaccinated game fowl flock showing clinic signs of infection in
Pinxiang county, Guangxi, China. The whole genome of the isolate was completely
sequenced and was found to be comprised of 15,192 nucleotides (nt), encoding the six
structural proteins in the order of 3′-NP-P-M-F-HN-L-5′. The pattern of cleavage
site 112RRQKR↓F117 in the fusion (F) protein and the intracerebral pathogenicity
index (ICPI) value of 1.5 showed that the strain GXGB2011 was a velogenic NDV.
The results of the challenge experiment with the 5-week-old SPF chickens showed
that the strain was highly pathogenic with 100% morbidity and mortality of the
challenged birds. Based on the detection of virus in different organs of the infected
birds, the highest viral load in caecal tonsils was observed and viral levels in immune
organs were higher than those in the respiratory organs. Bayesian reconstruction of
complete genomes based on the sequences of 66 NDV reference strains showed that
the strain belonged to the genotype VIII of NDV. Phylogenetic analysis showed that
the strain was more closely related to the foreign strains
gamefowl/U.S.(CA)/24225/98, 1ITTY94060 and IT-147/94 rather than to the first
domestic strains of the emergence genotype VIII in Qinghai, China during 1979–1985.
In summary, the results of the study demonstrated the re-emergence of a highly
pathogenic virulent isolate of genotype VIII of NDV. These results indicate the risk
that this genotype VIII of NDV may spread to commercial chickens from game fowl.

CRITIQUE:

The article does not provide a thorough description of the methods used in the study.
It would be helpful to know the specific techniques employed for the isolation and
sequencing of the GXGB2011 strain, as well as the details of the challenge
experiment and organ viral load analysis.

The articledoes not mention the number of samples or birds used in the study. The
inclusion of this information is important to assess the statistical significance of the
findings and the generalizability of the results.

The article lacks a comprehensive discussion of the implications of the findings. It

would be beneficial to explore the potential reasons behind the re-emergence of the
virulent isolate and the possible consequences for the poultry industry. Additionally, a
more detailed interpretation of the phylogenetic analysis and its relevance to the
transmission and spread of genotype VIII would enhance the article.

While the article mentions the phylogenetic analysis and the comparison with
reference strains, it does not provide a sufficient number of references to support the
claims made in the article. Including relevant literature and contextualizing the
findings within the existing body of knowledge would strengthen the study.