Identification of Newcastle Disease case on Kampung Unggul

Balitbangtan (KUB) and Sentul Terseleksi (SenSi) chicken in

Ungaran Research and Assessment Installation for
Agricultural Technology

R N Hayati*, D Prasetianti, F D Astuti and S Subiharta

Central Java Agricultural Technology Assessment Institute

*
E-mail: rininur1717@gmail.com

Abstract. Newcastle Disease (ND) is a common avian disease that attacks native chickens by
causing respiratory problems, thereby leading to a high mortality rate of about 60% per year and
economic losses in Indonesia. This study aims to determine the prevalence of ND in Kampung
Unggul Balitbangtan (KUB) and Sentul Terseleksi (SenSi) chickens which was conducted from
March to June 2021, on their cages at the Ungaran Research and Assessment Installation for
Agricultural Technology. The total number of 20 serum KUB and SenSi chicken samples were
collected, with 25% KUB A cages, 50% KUB B cages, and 25% SenSi cages. Each chicken's
serum was analyzed for inhibition of hemagglutination (HI) to determine antibody titers against
ND. The average antibody titer is expressed as a log2 value. The HI test results indicated that
the KUB A cage, KUB B cage, and SenSi cage all contained positive ND antibodies. In the KUB
A, KUB B, and the SenSi cages, the average ND antibody titer are 2 log 2, 0.8 log 2, and 2 log
2 respectively. In conclusion, the prevalence of ND antibodies is 100% in KUB and SenSi hens.
The ND infection was not described in all chicken cages because the prior vaccine provided a
limited level of protection.

1. Introduction
Free range chicken or native chicken promotes the rural economy because they are easy to maintain with
a stable price and often cultivated on a household scale [1]. However, this type of chicken is limited in
growth, control, and health, hence, they are easily susceptible to Newcastle disease.
Newcastle disease (ND), known as tetelo, is caused by a virus which attacks the respiratory and
systemic tracts of chickens. Furthermore, it is acute, easily contagious, and often transmitted through
the air which enters the body through the mucous membranes. Velogenic ND strains were transmitted
to chickens through contact with others and after seven days of infection, ND antibodies show no clinical
signs [3].
The virus is detected in the feces and eggs of the infected ones when tested. In layers it penetrated
the eggshell and affects the embryo, thereby leading to a decrease in egg production as well as high
mortality rate [2]. There was no effective drug to treat ND until now but the recommended action was
vaccination and management improvement [4]. The process of ND infection begins with its spread from
sick chickens to others through the air which is later captured in the mucosa of the nasal cavity by local
macrophages and eliminated from the body [5]. However, when the immune system is weak or virulent,
it is spread by macrophages (leukocytic trafficking) to regional defence glands where it replicates from
primary to secondary viremia reaching the lymphoid system and the epithelial cells of the respiratory,
renal mucosa, gastrointestinal tract, and nervous system.
Kampung Unggul Balitbangtan (KUB) and Sentul Terseleksi (SenSi) chickens are more
advantageous because they are more resistant to diseases. Therefore, it is necessary to study the
prevalence of ND in these chickens which is carried out at the Ungaran Research and Assessment
Installation for Agricultural Technology (IP2TP).

2. Materials and methods

2.1. Research location and sampling time

The investigation was conducted in chicken cages at IP2TP Ungaran. A total of 20 serum samples were
taken randomly from these three cages, namely KUB A, KUB B, and SenSi cages. In July 2021, these
samples were collected and sent to the Central Java Animal Health Laboratory for testing.

2.2. Serum sample

Serum samples taken include 2-3 ml of blood taken from the axillary vein using a 3 ml syringe on the
chicken wing, which was harvested and tested for hemagglutination (HA) and hemagglutination
inhibition (HI) that have been standardized. Furthermore, 25 μl of serum was used in the HI test, and
two serial fold dilutions were made in a V-bottomed micro dish, 25 μl of ND 4 AU antigen was added
and incubated for 30 minutes. 50 μl of 0.05% chicken red blood cells (HR) were then added and
incubated for 60 minutes. The dilution of serum from the sample that still showed inhibition in the HI
test indicated the amount of antibody content in the chicken test sample and was expressed in log 2.

3. Results and discussion

This study indicated that the prevalence of ND was 100% in the three cages at IP2TP Ungaran because
it had low antibody titers therefore each chicken was not protective against ND as demonstrated in Table
1.
Table 1. Distribution of ND seropositivity in KUB and SenSi chickens

Cages Total sample Low titre count ND Mean titre log 2

KUB A 5 5 2
KUB B 10 10 0.8
SenSi 5 5 2
According to Table 1, KUB A, KUB B, and SenSi chicken cages with 100% samples have low
antibody titers to fight against ND with an average titer of 1.4. However, the samples were not
necessarily representative of all individuals in the cage. The low titers in individual samples were
possible because the vaccines administered were no longer protective. The antibody titer value takes 6-
10 days which later boosts to protective level in 3-4 weeks but declines after 3-4 months and would not
be detected for 8-12 months [7].
The antibody titre in this study is relatively low in sustaining the chicken group for three months
before sampling, specifically when a repeat vaccine is not administered, it is possible that the virus
manifest. A combination of active and inactive immunization program initiated for a period of seven
days is able to give enough protection against highly pathogenic ND. When the ND antibody titre is
greater than or equal to 2 or to the power of 4, it is considered high or protective, but when it is less than
2 or below the power of 4, chickens must be vaccinated again to protect them against ND infection.
However, the majority of hens in the cage appeared to be in good health, with only a few exhibiting
signs of disease [4].
 Sampling was carried out at the end of the rainy to the dry season, in order to attain a favorable
condition for easy infection of ND. Moreover, this occurs in chickens seasonally because meteorological
circumstances affect the probability of ND in KUB chickens. The highly pathogenic ND is transmitted
to the healthy chickens, resulting in disease epidemics with a high fatality rate. This was consistent with
[8] which states that the spread of VND (Virulent Newcastle disease) infection in Indonesia began at
the start of the rainy season and got to its peak in the middle of the season. Hence, the outbreaks typically
occur during the transition from the rainy to the dry season.
These results showed that ND found in Indonesia were velogenic with malignant virulence. The virus
was isolated from all sampling areas because it was a virulent strain with varying antigenicity [8]. Also,
the pathogenicity of VND was influenced by viral strain, route of infection, age of chickens, and
environment [9].

4. Conclusions
Antibodies against ND were detected in 100% of samples from KUB and SenSi chickens at IP2TP
Ungaran, but this does not mean that all chickens in each cage were infected with ND because the
vaccine provided does a limited level of protection.

Acknowledgments
The authors are grateful for the assistance and motivation from colleagues and the special work by the
technical and laboratory staffs. The authors are also grateful for the financial support from Central Java
Assessment Institute for Agricultural Technology, Indonesian Agency for Agriculture Research and
Development (IAARD) and Agriculture Ministry of Indonesia.

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