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Newcastle disease (ND) is a highly contagious infection of poultry. Two pathology-based techniques, in situ RT-PCR and in situ hybridization (ISH) were applied to formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues from chickens naturally infected with velogenic ND virus (VNDV). Two pairs of parimers and a probe for ISH and in situ RT-PCR, respectively, were selected from highly conserved region of matrix gene of NDV. The ISH experiment was carried out using MicroProbe^TM capillary action system within 2 hours. In situ RT-PCR was performed using MicroProbe^TM capillary action system and GeneAmp In Situ PCR system. With ISH and in situ RT-PCR, viral nucleic acid was detected in the central nervous system of chickens from infected with neurotropic velogenic Newcastle disease virus (NVNDV), whereas viral nucleic acid was detected in various organs or tissues of chickens from infected with viscerotropic velogenic Newcastle disease virus (VVNDV). In the NVND group, positive signals were characteristically defined in the cytoplasm of neuron, vascular endothelial cells, and perivascular mononuclear macrophages in the central nervous system. One of NVND group, chicken from one farm exhibited positive signals in the bronchial epithelium. The VVND group chickens showed positive reaction in the macrophages, vascular endothelium, and bronchiolar epithelium. Markedly, viral nucleic acid was deteced in the macrophages of morphologically normal tissues which were peripheral or located in distant areas from lesions. The central nervous system of chickens infected with VVDD virus had positive signals in the vascular endothelial cell, perivascular mononuclear macrophages and some neuron. The number and intensity of the positive cells by in situ RT-PCR were more and stronger, respectively, in comparison with those by ISH. Particularly, positive reaction was detected in macrophages infiltrating in cardiac muscle by in situ RT-PCR, but not obtained by ISH. Therefore, these results demonstrated that ISH is a rapid diagnostic method for detection of NDV and in situ RT-PCR can be used as an efficient method for detection of low viral load infection or subclinical viral infection of NDV.
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