The first commercial poultry flock to test positive for virulent Newcastle disease (vND) in the United States since 2003 was a flock of six-week-old layer pullets, according to a report from the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE).
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) first reported the case on December 15, stating that a commercial chicken flock in Riverside County, California, tested positive for the virus.
The flock was being monitored due to enhanced surveillance that was being done amid an outbreak of vND in backyard exhibition chickens in Riverside, Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Ventura counties in California. According to the OIE, the birds were not showing clinical signs at the time of sampling, but an increase in mortality was later noticed in the flock.
According to the OIE, there were about 110,000 pullets in the susceptible flock, and all of those birds were killed and disposed of. Other control measures put in place include zoning, movement control, surveillance within and outside the containment and/or protection zone, and disinfection of the premises.
Virulent Newcastle disease found in more exhibition chickens
On the same day that OIE released its report on vND in commercial layer pullets, APHIS announced that 24 additional cases of vND in backyard exhibition chickens were confirmed from December 7 to December 13. All of those cases were also in Riverside County.
All affected chickens were euthanized, APHIS stated.
The new cases of vND come in spite of an effort to curb the spread of the disease.
The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) has ordered that all birds be euthanized in Compton (Los Angeles County), Muscoy (San Bernardino County) and Mira Loma/Jurupa Valley (Riverside County). That order was announced in late November by California State Veterinarian Annette Jones, who said euthanizing the birds was necessary to help prevent the further spread of vND.
The community of Perris in Riverside County has since been added to the list of locations where birds should be euthanized.
