Newcastle disease virus (NDV) (NDV)

Newcastle disease virus (NDV), also known as Avian orthoavulavirus 1, is an enveloped, single-stranded, negative-sense RNA virus belonging to the Paramyxoviridae family (Dimitrov et al., 2019). It is the causative agent of Newcastle disease, a highly contagious and economically devastating infection in avian species worldwide (Ganar et al., 2014). In human medicine, NDV is not a primary pathogen but is extensively studied as an oncolytic agent due to its ability to selectively replicate in and kill cancer cells (Schirrmacher, 2015). This selectivity arises because many tumor cells have defective type I interferon (IFN) signaling, which normally restricts viral replication in healthy cells (Sinkovics & Horvath, 2000). NDV induces immunogenic cell death and stimulates a systemic anti-tumor immune response, making it a potent candidate for cancer immunotherapy (Schirrmacher, 2015). Therapeutic strategies involving NDV include the development of recombinant strains to deliver cytokines and the use of antiviral agents like ribavirin to control viral replication in veterinary contexts (Ganar et al., 2014).

Other names

Avian orthoavulavirus 1AOAV-1Avian paramyxovirus 1APMV-1Ranikhet disease virus

Antiviral agents typically target the viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase or the hemagglutinin-neuraminidase (HN) protein to prevent attachment and release (Ganar et al., 2014). As an oncolytic agent, the virus exploits deficient interferon signaling in cancer cells to replicate selectively and induce immunogenic cell death (Schirrmacher, 2015).