Newcastle Disease Definition
According to OIE (Formerly The Office International des Epizooties OIE)– The definition of Newcastle disease is as an infection of birds caused by a virus of avian paramyxovirus serotype- 1 (APMV-1) that should meet one of the following criteria for virulence:
⦁ Newcastle disease virus has an intracerebral pathogenicity index (ICPI) in day-old chicks (Gallus gallus) of 0.7 or greater.
⦁ Newcastle disease is a disease of birds caused by strains of avian paramyxovirus type 1, significantly more virulent than lentogenic strains.
General Definition
Newcastle disease (ND) define as a viral disease caused by Newcastle disease virus (NDV) under the family of paramyxoviridae. there are various types of Newcastle Disease and have different definitions exist in the world.
It’s a non-segmented negative-sense RNA virus. It caused disease in poultry especially chicken, pigeon, etc.
Newcastle Disease Classification
Definition of Newcastle disease broadly announced in two ways worldwide which are most acceptable.
Older Definition
(a) According to OIE (Formerly The Office International des Epizooties OIE)
Newcastle disease (ND) is defined as an infection of birds caused by a virus of avian paramyxovirus serotype- 1 (APMV-1) that should meet one of the following criteria for virulence:
⦁ Newcastle disease virus has an intracerebral pathogenicity index (ICPI) in day-old chicks (Gallus gallus) of 0.7 or greater.
See also:
Newcastle Disease: Vaccine Strain With Cerebral Pathogenicity Index( ICPI) Value
⦁ Newcastle disease is a disease of birds caused by strains of avian paramyxovirus type 1, significantly more virulent than lentogenic strains.
⦁ Virulence of the Newcastle disease virus (NDV) virus depends on multiple basic amino acids in the virus structure (either directly or by deduction) at C & N terminus.
Multiple basic amino acid shows at the C-terminus of F2 protein & phenylalanine (F) at residue 117 which is the N-terminus of the F1 protein.
The term multiple basic amino acids refer to at least 3 arginine or lysine residues between residues 113 and 116.
In this definition, amino acid residues are numbered from the N-terminus of the amino acid sequence deduced from the nucleotide sequence of the F0 gene, and 113–116 corresponds to residues –4 to –1 from the cleavage site.
New Definition
⦁ Newcastle disease is a disease of poultry caused by a virus of avian paramyxovirus serotype 1 (APMV-1) which has an intracerebral pathogenicity index (ICPI) in day-old chicks of 1.2 or greater.
⦁ The virulent virus can also be confirmed by the presence of multiple basic amino acids at the C-terminus of the F2 protein and F (phenylalanine) at residue 117, the N-terminus of the F1 protein If NDV virus unable to demonstrate the unique pattern of amino acid residues as explain above would require characterization of the isolated virus by an ICPI test.
2) According to the European Union (EU):
“an infection of poultry caused by an avian strain of the paramyxovirus 1 with an intracerebral pathogenicity index [ICPI] in day-old chicks greater than 0.7”.
Definition in Pigeon

In addition, variant APMV-1 isolates from pigeons are referred to as pigeon paramyxovirus type 1 (PPMV-1).
Based on the OIE definition, by containing multiple amino acids in the fusion cleavage site, the PPMV-1 isolates are vNDV and upon infection of poultry are defined as ND and are reportable to the OIE.
However, only some PPMV-1 cause signs of clinical disease in chickens, giving ICPI values of less than 0.7.
but increasing in virulence after multiple passages in chickens.
Types Of Newcastle Disease
There are two types of Newcastle disease found worldwide
- virulence Newcastle disease virus (vNDV)
- Very virulence Newcastle disease virus (vvNDV)
- Low virulence Newcastle disease virus (LoDV)
- Avirulence Newcastle disease virus (vNDV)
Virulence Newcastle disease virus (vNDV)
Virulence Newcastle disease virus (vNDV) is defined as Newcastle disease (ND) infection which meets criteria according to OIE for Newcastle disease. Common criteria are
- The virus should have an intracerebral pathogenicity index (ICPI) in day-old chicks (Gallus gallus) of 0.7 or greater
- NDV shows basic amino acids in virus structure. etc
Common vNDV pathotypes are velogenic & Mesogenic strain
Low virulence Newcastle disease virus (LoDV)
Low virulence Newcastle disease virus (LoDV) is defined as asymptomatic or NDV of low virulence will be referred to as loNDV. These types of NDV found in reservoir hosts or natural hosts. The common natural host is Pigeon. domesticated chicken, comments, Live Newcastle disease vaccine
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References
Diseases Of Poultry 13th edition
- Avian medicine and surgery in practice companion and aviary birds-Doneley Bob – CRC Press LLC 2016
- Diseases of poultry 12th Edition
- Diseases of poultry 13th Edition
- Essentials of Avian Medicine and Surgery-Brian Coles – Wiley-Blackwell 2007
- Gino Lorenzoni – Poultry Diseases Influenced by Gastrointestinal Health Traditional Treatments and Innovative Solutions-Nottingham University Press 2010
- Handbook of Foodborne Diseases Dongyou Liu-CRC Press 2019
- Handbook on Poultry Diseases 2nd Edition
- Poultry Diseases 6th Edition
- ESSENTIAL POULTRY FEED INGREDIENTS AND THEIRCOMPOSITION - December 29, 2022
- Steps for Drinking Water Vaccination In Poultry - August 2, 2021
- Fowl Pox in Broiler And Layer - July 8, 2021