Comparison of various diagnostic methods in characterizing newcastle disease virus isolates from Desi chickens

Eleven Newcastle disease viruses (NDV), isolated from apparently healthy and ailing Desi chickens were subjected to both conventional and modern characterization techniques. The virulence and strain differentiating experiments placed 10 isolates in the velogenic group and one in the mesogenic group. In MDBK cells, 9 isolates produced characteristic cytopathogenic effects up to 5 and 2 up to 3 passages. Molecular characterization with a 21-mer oligonucleotide probe placed all the isolates in the velogenic/ mesogenic group. The results of this study clearly indicated that the isolates obtained are either velogenic or mesogenic but not lentogenic.