See also: 9 May 2003, 25 April 2003, 18 April 2003, 24 January 2003, 17 January 2003, 10 January 2003, 3 January 2003, 29 November 2002, 22 November 2002, 8 November 2002, 1 November 2002, 25 October 2002, 18 October 2002, 4 October 2002

Emergency report

Information received on 6 February 2003 from Dr Peter Fernandez, Associate Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Washington, DC:

Report date: 5 February 2003.

Nature of diagnosis: clinical, post-mortem and laboratory.

Date of initial detection of animal health incident: 4 February 2003.

Estimated date of first infection: 13 January 2003.

Outbreaks:

Location	No. of outbreaks
La Paz County, State of Arizona	1

Description of affected population: Newcastle disease has been confirmed in a backyard flock consisting of 50 birds. No commercial poultry is affected.

Total number of animals in the outbreak:

species	susceptible	cases	deaths	destroyed	slaughtered
avi	approx. 250	...	approx. 10	approx. 50	0

Diagnosis:

A. Laboratory where diagnosis was made: National Veterinary Services Laboratories, Ames, Iowa.

B. Diagnostic tests used: virus isolation.

C. Causal agent: the avian paramyxovirus-1 isolate has a fusion cleavage site sequence consistent with that of exotic Newcastle disease virus. The sequence is RRQKR/FVGAII.

Epidemiology:

A. Source of agent / origin of infection: unknown. An evaluation of bird, people and fomite movement is ongoing. The nucleotide sequence of the Arizona isolate has 100% homology through 185 bases at the fusion cleavage site with the California Newcastle disease virus⁽¹⁾, which would indicate that the Arizona and California isolates are identical.

B. Mode of spread: direct contact, fomites.

Control measures:

- Quarantine of affected backyard premises. APHIS is currently developing a federal quarantine for the affected area in Arizona.

- There is one contact premises that is under quarantine and is scheduled to be depopulated.

- Depopulation of affected/exposed game fowl.

- Epidemiological investigations are ongoing to determine the extent of spread. APHIS and the State of Arizona have increased active surveillance of the backyard bird population and have established a Task Force in Arizona.

(1) See Disease Information, 15 (40), 194, dated 4 October 2002 et seq.

Note from the OIE Central Bureau: Since this is the first occurrence - within the context of this epizootic - of Newcastle disease in the State of Arizona, the OIE Central Bureau has decided to publish the above emergency report despite our previous note (see Disease Information, 16 [4], 24, dated 24 January 2003) to the effect that no further cases of Newcastle disease in the United States of America reported to the OIE within the context of this epizootic would be notified in Disease Information.

Source: OFFICE INTERNATIONAL DES EPIZOOTIES - 7th February 2003