Efficacy of concurrent administration of hyper immune egg yolk and virus challenge in Newcastle disease infection

Abstract

Newcastle disease (ND), an infectious illness, affects domestic and wild birds. Poultry production in Mali faces significant obstacles due to this disease. An important cause of loss in Mali’s chicken industry, especially in rural areas, is Newcastle dis ease, with the sole method of prevention being vaccination. Unfortunately, in village poultry farms, this vaccination coverage is very low. This study aims to determine the effectiveness of hyper-immune egg yolk in protecting against Newcastle disease in poultry, as a cheaper and more accessible means of prophylaxis. Forty-five-day-old seronegative chickens (Leghorn strain) were divided into three groups (n = 5) housed separately. Groups I and II were inoculated with the virulent Newcastle strain (Ml029/07) titrating 106 EID50/ml intramuscularly, 100 µl per chicken; thereafter, group I was treated with hyper-immune egg yolk intramuscularly, 2 ml for 3 days. Group III (the control group) received neither virus nor treatment. All groups were placed under clinical observation for 14 days. All chickens in groups I and III remained healthy and recorded no mortality during the entire period, while group II showed signs of ND and had 100% mortality. The hyper-immune egg yolk was able to protect poultry against the ML029/07 strain isolated in Mali. Further studies are recommended, with interventions to make this method of prevention more accessible in areas with poultry populations as a means of protection against ND mortalities.