Detection of Newcastle disease virus antibodies in serum of broiler chickens of Iran

Newcastle disease (ND) is a common problem in poultry farms of Iran. Several serological and molecular tools are applied to diagnose the infection and predict its effects. Hemagglutination inhibition (HI) is a serologic test that commonly used in diagnostic laboratories. In order to determine NDV antibody status in broiler flocks of West and East Azarbayjan at the end of rearing period, 383 blood samples collected from 2 slaughterhouses in West Azarbayjan and subjected to HI test. 40.6% of samples were positive for NDV antibodies. High prevalence of NDV infections in poultry flocks indicates that present applied strategies are not fully effective in the case of this infection. Biosecurity measures, vaccination programs and surveillanceare altogether effective strategies in prevention of infection.