Antigenetically unusual Newcastle disease virus from racing pigeons in India.

Newcastle disease virus isolated from an outbreak in racing pigeons in India was found to be velogenic, based on the mean time to death in 10-day-old embryonated hen's eggs, the intravenous pathogenicity index in 6-week-old chickens and the pathogenesis in chickens and pigeons. The virus induced disease in chickens without prior adaptation in chickens. The virus was antigenically unusual since it could not be grouped with the available panel of monoclonal antibodies at the World Reference Laboratory for Newcastle disease, UK. However, commercially available lentogenic and mesogenic vaccines provided 100% protection to chickens against this antigenically unusual NDV.