By Jacob Kautzman
Faculty advisor: Lynn Lewis
2:00-2:50pm HCC 328
The Newcastle Disease Virus (NDV) is a virulent virus that primarily affects Avian species and is a problem for poultry farms. Infections can be reduced by consistent vaccination and disinfection practices, but many vaccines are rendered ineffective due to virus mutation, and commercial disinfectants are expensive and not environmentally friendly. In this study, the effect of Puregreen24, a commercially used, environmentally friendly surface disinfectant, was examined on NDV to determine its effect on the infectivity of the virus. I hypothesized that the treatment of Puregreen24 on NDV would decrease its infectivity in host cells. Infectivity was measured using a hemagglutination assay. NDV binds to multiple red blood cells (RBC) if in appropriate ratio to RBC, causing them to agglutinate. Agglutination concentrations can be used to compare relative amounts of infectious virus particles. Using the La Sota strain of NDV, Puregreen24, and Turkey RBC, hemagglutination assays were conducted on 96 well plates to determine the agglutination endpoint. After treating NDV with Puregreen24 for 15 minutes, turkey RBC were added and allowed to rest for 90 minutes for the RBC to settle. In the presence of Puregreen24, the ability of NDV to bind to RBC was significantly decreased (P = 0.0028). In conclusion, Puregreen24 was found to be effective in decreasing the infectivity of the La Sota NDV strain. However, further analysis is needed to determine whether the treatment of Puregreen24 affects all strains of NDV.
