Complete genome sequence analysis of a Newcastle disease virus isolated from a wild egret

We report here the complete genomic sequence of a novel Newcastle disease virus (NDV) strain, egret/China/Guangxi/2011, isolated from an egret in Guangxi Province, southern China. A phylogenetic analysis based on a fusion gene comparison with different NDV strains revealed that egret/China/Guangxi/2011 was phylogenetically close to genotype VIIa NDV, and the deduced amino acid sequence was (112)R-R-R-K-R-F(117) at the fusion protein cleavage site. The whole nucleotide sequence had the highest homology (93.3%) with the sequence of strain chicken/Sukorejo/019/10 (GenBank accession number HQ697255). This study will help us to understand the epidemiology and molecular characteristics of Newcastle disease virus in a migratory egret.