Response of Pigeons to Eight Strains of Newcastle Disease Virus

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Abstract
The response of 4-6-week-old pigeons to 8 strains of Newcastle disease virus (NDV) administered via the intracerebral and intramuscular routes was studied. Definite differences in the pathogenicity of strains of NDV were observed. In contrast to the mesogenic and the velogenic strains, the lentogenic ones provoked neither outward clinical signs nor HI [hemagglutination inhibition]-antibody response. The former, however, produced an acute illness which often terminated fatally 4-12 days postinjection, depending on degree of virulence and route of inoculation. The latter influenced the development of symptoms. The determined neuropathic and intramuscular indexes were correlated directly with the pathogenicity of the strains used, and respectively ranged from zero to 2.92 and from zero to 2.45. Intracerebral or intramuscular inoculation of pigeons provides additional reliable means of assessing the pathogenicity of strains of NDV as well as for distinguishing virulent strains from vaccine strains.