Dr. Fufa Abunna, Dr. Fufa DawoGelana, Haile2018-11-152023-11-082018-11-152023-11-082017-06http://etd.aau.edu.et/handle/123456789/14272MSc ThesisNew castle disease is a highly contagious and devastating viral disease of wild and domestic birds. The cross-sectional study was conducted from February 2016 up to March 2017 on domestic and wild birds in selected rift valley areas of Ethiopia to study epidemiology of Newcastle disease in wild and domestic birds. A total 300 domestic backyard chicken were selected, 150 of them blood sample for serology and 150 pools of five trachea and cloaca swab samples and also from wild birds 60 pool of five faecal droplets and ten swabs from pigeon were sampled. The samples were tested by Haemagglutination Inhibition and molecular characterization was done by real time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction targeting a conserved region of the Fusion gene to specifically amplify virulent Newcastle disease virus strains. Laboratory results were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square test, fisher’s exact test and logistic regression. The overall sero-prevalence of Newcastle disease in domestic birds was 12.7% (19/150) with statistical no significant difference among the study districts 20% (10/50), 12% (6/50), 6% (3/50) in Bishoftu, Hawassa and Batu, respectively. The samples collected from trachea and cloaca swab tested by real time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction 16.7% (7/30) of New castle disease virus was tested that 20%, 15%, 15% from Bishoftu, Hawassa and Batu, respectively, with statistical no significance differences among the study districts. In the wild birds all faecal droplet samples tested by real time reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction were negative where as 50% (5/10) swab samples from Pigeon were positive to Avian Paramyxovirus-1. The questionnaire survey response indicated that interaction of domestic poultry within the market and with wild birds and presence of water bodies has been recognized as a possible source of New castle disease. The current study provides important information on serological, associated risk factors and molecular characterization of New castle disease virus in the study areas, and hence it should be applied prevention and control methods and detail study will be conducted.enConventionalNew castle diseaseNew castle disease virusThesis