Evaluation of antibody titers against infectious bursal disease in backyard chickens

Abstract

<p Infectious bursal disease (IBD), represents one of the main pathologies that affects backyard poultry populations. Infection is produced by a highly contagious virus that causes significant economic losses, mainly associated with immuno-suppression. The objective of this work was to evaluate antibody levels in backyard hens of Curuguaty City, Paraguay. Blood samples were obtained from 16 healthy birds, without dis-tinction of sex, age and that did not received vaccination. The serological technique was indirect ELISA. Of the total samples analyzed, 37.5% had antibody titers against IBD. Considering the sex, 100% and 16.3% were reported as positives in males and females, respectively. The largest number of cases was reported in young birds from 3 to 6 months of age. Results show that there are circulating strains of IBD virus in the field. The necessity of the implementation of adequate control programs in order to eradicate the causal agent, is emphasized.p>