Infectious Bursal Disease (Gumboro disease)

1. DESCRIPTION:

Infectious bursal disease (IBD) is seen in young domestic chickens worldwide and is caused by infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV). Signs can include depression, watery diarrhea, ruffled feathers, and dehydration. Morbidity is high and mortality is usually low, but some very virulent strains are capable of causing 60% or higher mortality rate.

2. ETIOLOGY:

• Infectious bursal disease is caused by a birnavirus (infectious bursal disease virus; IBDV). It is shed in feces and transferred from house to house by fomites. It is very stable and difficult to eradicate from premises.
• Infections before 3 weeks of age are usually subclinical. After that, condition will get worsen, chicks from 1 to 12-week-old are most likely to get acute infection.
• The virus has a high resistance against disinfectant, therefore, standard methods can not eliminate all pathogenic micro-organisms in the environment.
• When the virus exists in the environment, it will increase virulence after each infection, so it is necessary to take measures to empty the coop after each litter of chicks.

3. CLINICAL SIGNS:

Chicks can get infection from their mothers as well as food source, equipment and even farmers. When the virus enters body, it will target lymph cells in digestive tract, liver and spleen. Incubation time is relatively short from 2 – 3 days.

Signs of the disease can include a rapid drop in feed and water consumption, anorexia, depression, mucoid (slimy) diarrhea with soiled vent feathers, listless chicks with unsteady gait or sitting in hunched position, picking at own vent and sleeping with beak touching the floor. Another clinical condition that can be seen is that IBD causes ruffled feathers, especially in the region around the head and the neck are presentable.

4. PREVENTION:

There is specific treatment for viral illness.

Always pay attention to epidemiological situation in local area to timely apply vaccination and strictly comply with schedule.

Periodically apply antiseptic to the coop to maintain a good biosecurity in the husbandry area.

Regularly apply adjuvants to enhance natural resistance such as:

5. TREATMENT:

Immediately bring down fever by using PARAMAX C, triple the recommended dosage in 4 consecutive days, apply 3 times a day every 6 hours.

Then feed supplement is highly recommended to replace deficiencies, the infected should be given SANFO.LIQID with the recommended dosage instead of drinking water until recover.

Avoid all stress on the chick to reduce mortality rate.

After 5 days applying the recommended treatment, apply antibiotics such as AMPI-COLI Extra for secondary treatment.

During the first 2 days of treatment, use half as much the recommended dosage. For the remaining days of treatment period, revert to recommended dosage. Treatment should be given from 5 to 7 days consecutively.