Abstract
Aim:This study aimed to assess available assay methods for infectious bursal disease (IBD) diagnosis and seromonitoring in local birds. It also sought to know the prevalence of IBD antibodies among local chickens and guinea fowls in Kwara state, North Central Nigeria.Materials and Methods:Sera were obtained from local chickens and guinea fowls and IBD virus (IBDV) antibodies were assayed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), indirect hemagglutination (IHA) test, and agar gel immunodiffusion (AGID) test.Results:A total of 265 sera were obtained from local birds during dry and wet seasons. ELISA recorded the highest prevalence of 81.1% (215/265) while IHA and AGID detected IBDV antibodies in 183 (69.1%) and 122 (46%) birds, respectively. Significant differences were established for IBD-positive sera based on the assay method used, bird species, and seasons.Conclusion:This study indicated that ELISA is the most sensitive and reliable assay method while AGID is the least. It also showed that there is a high prevalence of IBDV antibodies among local birds which were not vaccinated, and this implies a high IBDV activity among these bird species in the study area. This may have significant epidemiological implications on the spread of the virus to exotic bird reared in the rural areas on a commercial scale. Thus, this study suggests continuous surveillance, awareness campaign, and advocacy for vaccination of indigenous birds against IBD.
Highlights
Infectious bursal disease (Gumboro, infectious bursal disease (IBD)) was first observed in the area of Gumboro, in Delaware, USA [1]
It showed that there is a high prevalence of IBD virus (IBDV) antibodies among local birds which were not vaccinated, and this implies a high IBDV activity among these bird species in the study area
There was a significant difference in the exposure of chickens and guinea fowls to IBDV as determined by antibody detection (p
Summary
Infectious bursal disease (Gumboro, IBD) was first observed in the area of Gumboro, in Delaware, USA [1]. The virus belongs to the family Birnaviridae, genus Avibirnavirus It possesses two molecules of linear double-stranded RNA of approximately 6 kbp size [2]. Gumboro virus is extremely contagious and causes a self-limiting disease in both domestic birds (chickens and turkeys) and wild birds (guinea fowl, quail, ducks, and pheasants) [4]. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/ publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated
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