Assessing pig farm biosecurity measures for the control of on European farms.

spp. is a common zoonotic pathogen, causing gastrointestinal infections in people. Pigs and pig meat are a major source of infection.

Repeated isolation of virulent Newcastle disease viruses of sub-genotype VIId from backyard chickens in Bulgaria and Ukraine between 2002 and 2013.

Here, we report the circulation of highly related virulent Newcastle disease viruses (NDV) in Bulgaria and Ukraine from 2002 until 2013. All of these NDV isolates have the same virulence-associated cleavage site ("RQKR↓F"), and selected ones have intracerebral pathogenicity index values ranging from 1.61 to 1.

Histopathologic Characterization and Shedding Dynamics of Guineafowl (Numida meleagris) Intravenously Infected with a H6N2 Low Pathogenicity Avian Influenza Virus.

Guineafowl of different ages were inoculated intravenously with a H6N2 wild waterfowl-origin low pathogenicity avian influenza virus (LPAIV). No clinical disease was observed. The infected birds had atrophy of the spleen, thymus, and cloacal bursa when compared with the noninfected control groups.

International Biological Engagement Programs Facilitate Newcastle Disease Epidemiological Studies.

Infections of poultry species with virulent strains of Newcastle disease virus (NDV) cause Newcastle disease (ND), one of the most economically significant and devastating diseases for poultry producers worldwide. Biological engagement programs between the Southeast Poultry Research Laboratory (SEPRL) of the United States Department of Agriculture and laboratories from Russia, Pakistan, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Indonesia collectively have produced a better understanding of the genetic diversity and evolution of the viruses responsible for ND, which is crucial for the control of the disease. The data from Kazakhstan, Russia, and Ukraine identified possible migratory routes for birds that may carry both virulent NDV (vNDV) and NDV of low virulence into Europe.