Newcastle Disease reported in Nicaragua

//08 Sep 2011
Nicaragua is facing an outbreak of Newcastle Disease, according to a World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) report.
The outbreak in the Community of El Jobo, San Juan de Nicaragua, is composed of 18 rural households with some backyard poultry used mainly for family consumption.

Sick poultry was reported to the field practitioners in the area; a visit was then carried out and it was established that there were sick poultry and, a few days earlier, there had been dead birds.

Blood samples
For this reason, blood samples were taken from 30 poultry and sent to the Central Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry in Managua. These samples were tested with the haemagglutination inhibition test and three showed titles suggesting the presence of Newcastle disease virus.

Subsequently, tissues from slaughtered poultry were sent to the OIE Reference Laboratory in Iowa (United States of America) to confirm the suspicion; results are still pending.

Animal health authorities launched epidemiological investigations to determine the index outbreak and the source of infection, which so far is unknown.

Dead poultry
Out of the total susceptible population 40 dead poultry were found and destroyed on site; eight poultry were slaughtered in order to send samples to the laboratory.

As part of the epidemiological investigations, a serological sampling and a cloacal swab sampling were conducted in the communities next to the affected community; 120 samples were taken and sent to the Central Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory in Managua for appropriate analysis with the haemagglutination inhibition test.

The infected farms have been quarantined and movement of animals has been restricted within the country.

Source: World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE)