Newcastle Disease In The USA
TEXAS - A report (via OIE) on the Newcastle Disease in the State of Texas (follow-up report No. 1).
25 April 2003
3 minute read
See also:
9 May 2003,
18 April 2003,
7 February 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
Information received on 18 and 24 April 2003 from Dr Peter Fernandez, Associate Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Washington, DC:
End of previous report period: 10 April 2003 (see Disease Information, 16 [16], 93, dated 18 April 2003).
End of this report period: 24 April 2003.
Outbreaks (updated data):
| Location | No. of outbreaks* |
| El Paso County, in the south-western part of the State of Texas | 1** |
* USDA is defining this event as a single point source outbreak affecting multiple premises.
** 38 quarantined backyard flocks (infected and/or dangerous contacts).
Description of affected population in the Texas outbreak*: backyard flocks only.
Total number of animals in the Texas outbreak*:
| species | susceptible | cases | deaths | destroyed | slaughtered |
| avi | ... | ... | ... | approx. 1,924 | 0 |
Diagnosis/Epidemiology:
In the emergency report on Newcastle disease in the State of Texas it was mentioned that the virus isolate was believed to be the same as those isolates associated with the outbreak* in southern California (see Disease Information, 16 [16], 94, dated 18 April 2003).
Further DNA sequencing analysis, however, has confirmed that the cases detected in El Paso county, Texas, were caused by a separate introduction of virus and not by the movement of virus from the affected areas in California, Nevada or Arizona. The phylogenetic analysis shows that the viruses are different enough to indicate that the incident in El Paso county was the result of a separate introduction, and is thus a separate outbreak*.
This information demonstrates several relevant and important factors:
1) we continue to effectively contain the initial virus to the existing quarantine area in southern California, western Arizona and southern Nevada; and
2) our education and awareness programs and surveillance efforts are having a positive impact, even outside the quarantine areas.
Source: OFFICE INTERNATIONAL DES EPIZOOTIES - 25th April 2003
