Med. Weter. 75 (03), 138-145, 2019
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| ANNA PIKUŁA, KRZYSZTOF ŚMIETANKA |
| Selected aspects of infectious bursal disease – the current state of knowledge |
| Infectious bursal disease (IBD) is a highly infectious and contagious immunosuppressive viral disease of
chickens with a worldwide economic significance to the poultry industry. Over fifty years have passed since
the first confirmed occurrence of the disease, and the virus has spread all over world and evolved into multiple
genetic, antigenic and pathotypic variants, becoming a serious threat to the poultry industry. The primary tool
in IBD eradication is the maintenance of strict biosecurity in poultry farms and implementation of vaccination
programmes which should take into account the current epidemiological knowledge about the IBDV strains
circulating in the field. This review article presents the current state of knowledge about the infectious bursal
disease virus (IBDV) with special regard to the molecular biology of the virus, immunological aspects, as well
as current and future prevention strategies. |
| Key words: infectious bursal disease virus, genetic evolution, immunity, vaccines |