Articles on Diagnosis of Gumboro | Gumboro Prevention

Understanding Infectious Bursal Disease virus diagnostic techniques

Adrià Martos — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 16:30:42 +0000

There are several diagnostic techniques available for Infectious Bursal Disease (IBD) which can be very useful in poultry vets’ daily practice. However, to ensure their efficient use, it is crucial to know how to interpret them and what valuable information each of them provides us with. Understanding each of these diagnostic techniques well is one of the key points for prevention and control of the disease.

The laboratory diagnosis of Infectious Bursal Disease is useful for two main reasons. On the one hand, for detection of the aetiological agent that is causing an outbreak as the IBD virus does not always show clear signs of the disease and on the other hand, as a vaccination performance follow-up, that is to say, to assess whether the vaccine administered in a flock is working in the way it should and that the birds are responding properly to it. When a Gumboro disease outbreak is suspected, the first step will always be to take an exhaustive evaluation of the chicks for a clinical diagnosis, along with a postmortem examination to detect lesions and signs compatible with IBDV. However, to really confirm which pathogen is causing the problem that has been detected , we must rely on laboratory techniques.

Infectious bursal disease clinical diagnosis

Clinical diagnosis is based on medical signs and reported symptoms. This is only useful for clinical IBDV, as subclinical IBDV will not cause any signs , and so is easily underdiagnosed. The severity of the signs will depend on the age, breed, virulence of the strain, etc. but in general, a clinical IBDV case can be described as follows:

Rapid onset of the disease with an incubation period around 2-3 days.
High morbidity (high amount of disease within a population/flock), up to 100% in fully susceptible flocks as it is a very contagious virus.
Mortality can be as high as 20-30%, even higher with very virulent IBD strains, beginning on day 3 post-infection and subsiding after 5-7 days.
Gross lesions: the most common signs are those present in the bursae of Fabricius (changes in size and weight, oedema, yellowish transudate, petechiae or ecchymosis…), but IBDV can also appear with haemorrhages in the muscles, splenomegaly and other changes such as in the kidneys due to severe dehydration.

All these detected changes can lead us to suspect a case of Gumboro. However, as mentioned above, for a final confirmation we must use laboratory techniques such as serology, molecular diagnosis and histopathology.

SEROLOGY

Serology is a widely used technique that aims to evaluate the response of the immune system (antibodies in blood serum) to pathogens or vaccines. The most widely used test is the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, also called ELISA, which is a test that detects and measures IBDV antibodies in the blood. The main inconvenience is that it cannot directly differentiate the type of strain that is present on the farm and on some occasions the interpretation might be difficult as some IBDV field strains do not lead to higher levels of titres compared to vaccines.

Why serology diagnostic technique for Infectious Bursal Disease?

To create an antibody profile for breeder flocks that will give us information for proper vaccination programmes.
To evaluate day-old chick maternally-derived antibodies (MDAs), crucial when using drinking water vaccines, to determine the optimal vaccination date. This will avoid the neutralization of the vaccine or reduce the protection gap between the MDA decline and the onset of immunity of the vaccine.
To evaluate the uniformity of the flock.
To detect the presence of a field virus on a farm.
To verify the success of vaccination. It is recommended that a historical baseline should be created for a specific vaccination programme, to know what to expect in that flock and on that farm. Knowing this, we can rapidly detect an outbreak when these parameters appear to be different to usual.

It must be borne in mind that each commercial ELISA kit can be very different in terms of results and interpretation, mainly due to the type of antigen inserted and the lower or higher range of detection. So, when referring to ELISA titres, it is important to specify which kit has been used to analyse the sera.

MOLECULAR IBD DIAGNOSIS

For direct detection of an antigen, the most widely used technique is molecular diagnosis: PCR for the detection of a positive sample and sequencing for the detection of the specific strain. This technique allows us to identify a target genetic sequence of DNA or RNA. PCR is a molecular technique that amplifies a small fragment or even the whole genome of a microorganism present in a sample. In the case of Gumboro virus, the amplified gene is the VP2 gene since it is the most immunogenic protein, located on the surface of the virus. However in recent years, a new genotypic classification of IBDV based on VP1 and VP2 proteins has been proposed and is becoming more commonly used. The aim of the PCR is to generate millions and millions of copies of this specific gene in order to be able to detect a very small amount of the virus present in the sample. After repeating different cycle temperatures, PCR doubles and increases the number of copies of this genetic material, at the end generating millions of copies of the initial amount. The Ct value is the number of cycles that a sample needs to be detected as positive, and it is inversely proportional to the initial amount of genetic material present in the sample. The higher the Ct value, the higher the number of cycles this sample needs to be detected as positive, so the lower is the amount of genetic material present in this sample. This gives us a semi-quantitative way of quantifying the amount of genetic material in the sample.

Why do molecular diagnosis for IBDV?

To group different isolates of IBDV, generally based on the VP2 variable domain.
To determine which strain is occupying the bursa (field or vaccine strain).
To evaluate the time of entry of the virus into the bursa – Onset of immunity of vaccines (competitive exclusion) – Pressure of infection field virus (early entry)
To verify the success or performance of a vaccination

The bursa of Fabricius is the tissue of choice for the isolation of IBDV because it contains the highest virus titre and persists for longer, as the virus replicates in B-lymphocytes present in the organ. Sampling is performed in the bursas by using FTA cards, which are sent to the laboratory for amplification of the genetic material. If the sample is positive, it will then be sent for virus typing to determine which specific type of Gumboro virus is present. The sequences obtained are then analysed using different software to compare them with sequences published in a database.

HISTOPATHOLOGY

Histopathology is a laboratory technique for evaluation of microscopic lesions. In the case of Gumboro disease, it is commonly used to evaluate lesions present in the bursa of Fabricius. It is important to remark that this diagnosis technique provides information about Infectious Bursal Disease compatible lesions, but it does not confirm the causative agent or the virus that is present. It is useful in order to know the virulence of a specific strain, to compare the effect of IBDV vaccines and field strains (or to compare different types of vaccines) and to estimate the momentum of the infection at the time the sample was taken (acute or chronic phase). Histopathology is also useful to score the lymphoid depletion caused by live IBD field viruses and vaccines. The most recognized method is the European Pharmacopoeia lesion scoring scale, that evaluates the replication level of live vaccine strains in the bursa, based on lymphoid depletion only, not other inflammatory signs. This scoring ranges from 0 (no lymphoid depletion) to 5 (100% of follicles show nearly complete lymphoid depletion). In practice, this histopathological evaluation of the bursa is done from 28 (acute phase of the infection) to 35 days of age (chronic phase). It is important to bear in mind that there are other scoring scales, so it should be clear which scale is used by the laboratory where the samples are sent to be analysed. The vaccine that is used should also be taken into account, as only live vaccines reach the bursa:

Live vaccines (drinking water and immune complex) replicate in the bursa of Fabricius and generate protection through competitive exclusion. Live vaccines show lymphoid depletion, a sign of viral replication in the bursa. But the difference with non-vaccinated but challenged birds is the presence of signs of inflammation and necrosis in bursas, while vaccinated birds do not present an inflammatory response and should never present signs of real bursal damage that could lead to immunosuppression.
Recombinant vaccines do not replicate at the bursa, so the lesion scoring scale is not applicable.

CONCLUSIONS

Infectious Bursal Diseae diagnosis is a key tool for IBDV prevention and control.
It is crucial to know what information each technique provides and how to interpret it in order to avoid misleading conclusions.
Each IBD technique complements the others. Together, they can give the “whole picture”, while using an isolated technique can give false information on the situation.

La entrada Understanding Infectious Bursal Disease virus diagnostic techniques se publicó primero en Gumboro Prevention.

Subclinical Gumboro disease caused by variant strains. What impact do they have?

Adrià Martos — Tue, 30 Jan 2024 09:48:34 +0000

Classification of Gumboro disease (IBDV) became more complex with the discovery of antigenic variant strains (avIBDV) in America and a highly virulent strain (vvIBDV) identified in Europe. More detailed information on the antigenicity, pathogenicity and molecular structure of new IBDV isolates made it clear that the descriptive nomenclature used for IBDV was inadequate. Thus, a new nomenclature that includes a genotyping system (G) was proposed¹. In this new nomenclature, viruses belonging to the avIBDV group were classified into Genogroups G2, G4, G5, G6, and G7¹.

While vvIBDV strains have always been associated with high mortality rates (>30%) and visible clinical signs, IBD variant viruses are normally associated more with subclinical forms of Gumboro. Numerous publications have described the huge impact the subclinical form of Gumboro has had on large farms in America and, more recently, in Asia, especially due to the circulation of Gumboro variant G2 viruses.

Therefore, what is the impact of Gumboro variant strains in the poultry industry?

1. Pathogenic impact:

Although mortality is not generally associated with the circulation of G2 strains on farms, their presence in the bursa of Fabricius is normally linked to severe atrophy (Fig. 1) of this important immune organ of chickens, which results in severe immunosuppression and a drop in production performance.

Fig 1. Comparison of macroscopic lesions in the bursa with variant IBDV vs vvIBDV.

Gumboro variant G2 viruses often show a significantly lower level and shorter duration of in vivo replication and fewer visible lesions compared with the vvIBDV (Li et al., 2023). The difference in the in vivo replication efficiency of the IBD variant vs vvIBDV probably has an important influence on the difference in the pathogenicity of those two types of viruses. However, like vvIBDV, variants are still able to replicate rapidly in the bursa and to be excreted externally, which could also explain why G2 IBDV do not cause high mortality in chickens but become one of the dominant epidemic strains in many countries. Like vvIBDV in the chronic phase (Table 1), G2 IBDV can cause serious damage to the central immune organ, the bursa of Fabricius, due to a large amount of necrosis and disintegration of B lymphocytes, which explains the severe immunosuppression linked to these viruses.

Table 1. Clinicopathological outcomes in chickens of Gumboro variant G2 strains isolated in different countries compared to vvIBDV. (Fan et al, 2019; Hou et al., 2022; Li et al., 2023, Jackwood 2011)

2. Economic impact:

Variant G2 IBDV has been reported as an economically significant disease because it induces severe bursal damage, profound immunosuppression and subclinical infections that are often the underlying cause of respiratory and enteric diseases in chickens, as well as being the cause of vaccination failures (Icard et al., 2008; Jackwood and Sommer-Wagner, 2005; Perozo et al., 2009). In many cases, the magnitude of the economic losses generated by IBDV strains is difficult to appreciate because immunosuppression often goes unnoticed. A 5-year study demonstrated that variant IBDV has had a serious influence on the Canadian economy and that it is associated with immunosuppression (Zachar et al., 2016). Variant IBDV is also a potential threat to antibiotic-free chicken farming and is not amenable to the current anti-IBDV vaccination strategy (Kurukulsuriya et al., 2016).

Role of vaccines in combatting the circulation of Gumboro variant strains:

It has been proved that variant G2 IBDV strains in neonatal chickens can evade the maternal antibodies that are produced by broiler breeders immunized with standard or classic IBDV strain vaccines, which leads to severe bursal damage soon after hatching (Icard et al., 2008; Jackwood and Sommer-Wagner, 2005). In those cases, immunosuppression induced by Gumboro variant strains is greatest and permanent because the damaged bursa is not able to regenerate and have a normal immune function. Similarly, Fan et al. (2019) verified that a novel G2 variant IBDV isolated in China could severely damage the bursa of Fabricius of immunized chickens in the presence of antibodies induced by different types of vaccines against vvIBDV. Monoclonal antibody reactivity patterns and cross-neutralization assays further confirmed the obvious antigenic mismatch between novel Gumboro variant and vvIBDV. In contrast, Jackwood in 2011 proved that mortality, severity of clinical signs and macroscopic lesions caused by vvIBDV in SPF birds were reduced when Gumboro variant strains were given at intervals of different numbers of days or simultaneously with the vvIBDV. This principle of competitive exclusion in the competition for the bursa of Fabricius niche between two field IBDV, can also be applied between a vaccine virus and a field virus. In the current scenario of continuous emergence of new variant strains worldwide, the use of live vaccines with good competitive exclusion capacity might be the most powerful solution.

Bibliography

1. Fan L, Wu T, Wang Y, Hussain A, Jiang N, Gao L, Li K, Gao Y, Liu C, Cui H, Pan Q, Zhang Y, Wang X, Qi X, 2019. Novel Variants of Infectious Bursal Disease Virus Can Severely Damage the Bursa of Fabricius of Immunized Chickens, Veterinary Microbiology (2019), doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetmic.2019.108507 2. Hou B, Wang C-Y, Luo Z-B, Shao G-Q. 2022. Commercial vaccines used in China do not protect against a novel infectious bursal disease virus variant isolated in Fujian. Vet Rec. 2022;e1840.https://doi.org/10.1002/ vetr.1840 3. Icard AH, Sellers HS, Mundt E. 2008. Detection of infectious bursal disease virus isolates with unknown antigenic properties by reverse genetics. Avian Diseases 2008;52:590–598 4. Jackwood DJ, Sommer-Wagner SE. 2005. Molecular epidemiology of infectious bursal disease viruses: Distribution and genetic analysis of newly emerging viruses in the United States. Avian Diseases 2005;49:220–226 5. Jackwood DJ . 2011. Viral Competition and Maternal Immunity Influence the Clinical Disease Caused by Very Virulent Infectious Bursal Disease Virus. Avian Diseases 55:398–406, 2011 6. Kurukulsuriya, S., Ahmed, K.A., Ojkic, D., Gunawardana, T., Gupta, A., Goonewardene, K., Karunaratne, R., Popowich, S., Willson, P., Tikoo, S.K., Gomis, S., 2016. Circulating strains of variant infectious bursal disease virus may pose a challenge for antibiotic-free chicken farming in Canada. Res.Vet. Sci. 108, 54-59 7. Li, K.; Niu, X.; Jiang, N.; Zhang, W.; Wang, G.; Li, K.; Huang, M.; Gao, Y.; Qi, X.; Wang, X. 2023. Comparative Pathogenicity of Three Strains of Infectious Bursal Disease Virus Closely Related to Poultry Industry. Viruses 2023, 15, 1257 8. Zachar T., Popowich S., Goodhope B., Knezacek T., Ojkic D., Willson P., Ashfaque K., Ahmed, Gomis S. 2016. A 5-year study of the incidence and economic impact of variant infectious bursal disease viruses on broiler production in Saskatchewan, Canada. Can. J. Vet. Res. 80, 255-261

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Variant IBDV strains from different countries. Are they related to each other?

Adrià Martos — Tue, 21 Nov 2023 09:11:30 +0000

Infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) was commonly divided into three main groups according to antigenic and virulence properties: classical virulent (cvIBDV), very virulent (vvIBDV) and antigenic variants (avIBDV). In 2018, a new nomenclature based on genotyping was established and viruses belonging to this last group were classified into Genogroups G2, G4, G5, G6, and G7¹. Several publications have described the huge impact that the subclinical form of Gumboro has had on large farms, especially due to the circulation of novel G2 variant IBD viruses².

Many publications have shown that some G2 variant IBD viruses may be antigenically distinct from the Delaware-E Variant type strain and might not be neutralized by antibodies produced from the current commercial Del-E variant type vaccines³. In such a scenario, the use of live vaccines with good competitive exclusion capacity might be a good solution for the control of these emergent variant strains.

A broad analysis of the characterization and circulation of genogroup (G2) variant type viruses was carried out in different countries for a better understanding of the evolution of the virus, its phylogenetic relatedness and the implementation of proper measures to improve the control of the disease worldwide. One hundred and six G2 variant Gumboro strains were obtained from Peru, Spain, the Philippines, Mexico, France, Poland, Portugal, Malaysia and South Africa from 2020 to 2021. The results obtained showed the extensive and distinct evolution of the Genogroup 2 virus around the world. However, the viruses seem to have a similar evolution within a specific region, which may respond to similar production managements.

Read the complete article: Evaluation of the phylogenetic relatedness of 106 genogroup 2 IBDV from seven different countries

Bibliography

1. Jackwood, D.J., Schat, K.A., Michel, L.O. & de Wit, S. 2018. A proposed nomenclature for infectious bursal disease virus isolates. Avian Pathology, 47, 576–584. 2. Zachar T., Popowich S., Goodhope B., Knezacek T., Ojkic D., Willson P., Ashfaque K., Gomis S. 2016. A 5-year study of the incidence and economic impact of variant infectious bursal disease viruses on broiler production in Saskatchewan, Canada. Can. J. Vet. Res. 80:255–261. 3. Jackwood D.J., Susan E. Sommer-Wagner S.E. 2011. Amino acids contributing to antigenic drift in the infectious bursal disease Birnavirus (IBDV). Virology 409: 33–37.

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Differential diagnosis of IBD symptoms in poultry

Adrià Martos — Fri, 10 Feb 2023 09:03:30 +0000

The diagnosis of Infectious bursal disease (IBD) is not always obvious if we rely only on the clinical signs observed. The main reason for this is that there are several pathologies that share similar clinical signs and, on the other hand, there is a clear tendency towards subclinical IBD strains, which present very few or even no clinical IBD symptoms. For this reason, it is important to correctly carry out a differential diagnosis of the disease together with laboratory diagnostic techniques to confirm IBDV involvement in the farm situation.

Gumboro disease was initially described as avian nephrosis due to damage caused in the kidneys¹ but was later named Infectious bursal disease (IBD) based on the morphologic and histological changes observed in its target organ, the bursa of Fabricius. Clinical IBD is responsible for heavy economic losses due to impaired growth, death, carcass condemnation and losses due to immunosuppression. IBD symptoms and postmortem findings may help to diagnose IBD, but laboratory diagnosis is required for final confirmation.² The disease presents several general clinical signs, but what characterizes it most are the changes observed in the bursa of Fabricius, making it a very useful tool to confirm an IBD outbreak. Even so, a differential diagnosis must be considered since similar lesions can be found in other pathologies.

Reovirus, Newcastle disease (ND) in its visceral forms, mycotoxicosis, chicken anaemia virus (CAV) and nephrogenic forms of infectious bronchitis (IB) are the main differential diagnoses for IBD

The following table describes some of the IBD symptoms in poultry along with other compatible pathologies that should be considered in the differential diagnosis:

Laboratory diagnostic techniques such as serology, PCR and histopathology of the bursa will allow the final differentiation between IBD and other diseases.

The video reviews the key points in a necropsy focused on IBDV. Mar Biarnés (CESAC Technical Director) evaluates the affected organs, differential diagnosis, sample collection and resolution of real cases of IBDV from the necropsy and diagnostic perspective.

Bibliography

1. Cosgrove AS. An apparently new disease of chickens: Avian nephrosis. Avian Diseases. 1962; 6: 385-387. 2. Banda A. Characterization of Field Strains of Infectious Bursal Disease Virus (IBDV) Using Molecular Techniques. Athens, Georgia, USA: University of Georgia; 2002. 3. Tesfaheywet Z, Hair-Bejo M, Rasedee A. Hemorrhagic and clotting abnormalities in infectious bursal disease in specificpathogen- free chicks. World Appl Sci J. 2012; 16: 1123-1130. 4. Islam MT, Samad MA. Clinico-pathological studies on natural and experimental infectious bursal disease in broiler chickens. Bangladesh Journal of Veterinary Medicine. 2014; 2: 31-35.

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Bursa size, an easy tool to evaluate gumboro vaccination programmes

Adrià Martos — Fri, 11 Feb 2022 10:13:56 +0000

By conducting necropsies routinely, we can have a rough but quick idea of what is happening on our farms. However, most of the time we do not standardise or record the results of those necropsies. Recording the bursa size as a routine practice can be used to evaluate the Gumboro situation on farms and in particular the vaccination scheme we are using.

Bursa of Fabricius, the target organ of IBDV diagnosis

The bursa of Fabricius (BF) is a primary lymphoid organ that plays a key role in the differentiation of B-lymphocytes and thus the development of the humoral immunity. Its development begins during incubation and reaches maximum size between 8 and 10 weeks of age, when the regression process starts, and is completed by 6 to 7 months of age (Olah et al., 2014). The immature B-lymphocytes are the target cells for replication of the IBDV (Infectious Bursal Disease Virus, also known as the Gumboro disease virus).

This is why the bursa of Fabricius is the principal diagnostic organ for evaluation of the Gumboro situation on farms.

When the IBDV replicates in the lymphocytes, we will normally see an impact on the bursa size. This impact can range from an increased size because of oedema (at the beginning of the replication; Figure 1a), to a decrease in size or atrophy due to the disappearance of most of the lymphocytes in the bursa (at the end of replication; Figure 1b).

Figure 1. a) Impact on the bursa size due to the replication of IBDV: Oedematous bursas (increased size). Figure 1. b) Atrophic bursas (decreased size). Accordingly, live IBD vaccines will also have an impact on the bursa size as an effect of vaccine virus replication. In fact, this vaccine replication is one of the most important protective mechanisms of live IBD vaccines against the disease, thanks to the competitive exclusion principle. However, in this case, the impact on the bursa size is less marked, with only a certain decrease in size normally observed at the end of the replication. Building up an historical record of the bursa size in all our flocks can be very helpful in detecting the time when the bursas start to decrease in size as a consequence of the vaccine replication and its correlation with the MDAs. In this way, if we detect a delay in some flocks (or even that there is no atrophy at all), we can speculate that we are facing a problem or that the MDAs were initially higher than usual (Table 1). It is important to remember here that when using an HVT-IBDV recombinant vaccine, we do not expect to observe any impact on the bursa size (as there is no live attenuated IBDV; Table 1). So, when these vaccination programmes are used, any change in the bursa size might be indicative of a field Gumboro virus replication. Table 1. Impact on bursa size of different IBD vaccination programmes.

How is bursa size evaluated?

There are several methods of evaluation of the bursa size. We can score the size of the bursa using a bursa-meter (Figure 2) or we can simply measure the bursa with a ruler. When using a bursa-meter, we will obtain a score from 1 to 8 depending on the diameter of the bursa (Figure 2). Scores from 4 to 6 are considered normal for a healthy bursa (including live attenuated IBDV replication). Scores below or above that (1, 2 and 8) may be indicative of a pathological condition of the bursa. Figure 2. Images and scale of HIPRA bursa-meter.

Important points to take into account when using bursa size to evaluate a Gumboro vaccination programme

As has been explained, the size of the bursa can be a good indicator of the time when the bursa started to be atrophic as a consequence of the vaccine replication. However, it is important to take into account that, as a lymphoid organ, there are other causes (infectious and non-infectious conditions) that can also affect bursa size (Table 2). For this reason, a differential diagnosis will be crucial when the size and the time of the atrophy observed on the farm does not correlate with what is expected after vaccination. Table 2. Review of different conditions that can directly impact the size of the bursa of Fabricius. In addition, before using the bursa of Fabricius size as an indicator, it is also important to set size standards for a healthy bursa of Fabricius. Unfortunately, there are not many up-to-date publications that include all types of breeds, genders or farming conditions (Table 3). Table 3. Bursa of Fabricius height (mm) and width (mm) in male Cobb 500 broilers (Cazaban et al; 2015).

This is why it is so important for a historical record to be built up for each farm, as this parameter will probably just be comparable within this same unit.

References:

Casanova, S. et al. 2015. Ciência Rural, Santa Maria, 45: 64-67.
Cazaban, C. et al. 2015. Poultry Sci. 94:2088–2093.
Chang, S. et al. 2011. Avian Dis. 55:384–390.
Haridy, M. et al. 2012. J. Vet. Med. Sci. 74:757–764.
Hoerr, F. J. 2008. Diseases of Poultry, 12th edition: 1197–1230.
Olah, I. et al. 2014. Avian Immunology, 2nd Edition pp: 11-44.
Tarek, K. et al. 2013. Int. J. Poultry Sci. 12 (6): 377-378.
Wang, L. et al. 2007. Acta Microbiol. Sin. 47:492–497.
Wang, X. et al. 2019. Vet. Microbiol. 236: 108389.

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GLOBAL HATCHERY HEALTH PROGRAMME – A service beyond vaccination for the prevention of Gumboro disease

Adrià Martos — Fri, 17 Dec 2021 08:48:28 +0000

Hatchery vaccination is increasing significantly and is becoming a very important practice for the poultry industry for the control of several economically important poultry viral diseases, such as Gumboro disease (IBD).

Immune complex and recombinant Gumboro vaccines can be applied at hatchery level, both in ovo and via the subcutaneous route, with the objective of giving a short window of time before the chicks are placed in potentially contaminated environments. In addition to early prevention, hatchery vaccination offers other important advantages such as the reliability of a full dose application, hygiene conditions, fewer vaccination errors, the fact that it is not dependent on water quality and that there is no need to calculate the optimal vaccination day. All these advantages should help to promote flock health, performance and a higher efficiency but principally when proper monitoring and control of all vaccine-related operations are implemented. To support poultry companies in ensuring this, HIPRA has developed a series of services included under the new GLOBAL HATCHERY HEALTH PROGRAMME (GHHP) that will bring innovation and real-time control of the HEALTH of the hatchery. GHHP consists of a range of distinctive services divided into three main blocks:

1. Optimization of vaccination procedures

GHHP offers services focused on guaranteeing correct vaccination procedures for all administration routes (in ovo or subcutaneous in the case of Gumboro), including innovative devices and the Smart Vaccination concept for vaccine verification through traceability.

Ensuring correct vaccination to reduce procedure failures and, consequently, to achieve better safety and efficacy of vaccination.

2. DOC quality control

Chick quality and vaccination quality are intrinsically linked, and one cannot be successful without the other. For this reason, GHHP is aimed at guaranteeing that the chicks leave the hatchery in the best condition thanks to DOC quality assessment through numerical and objective data:

Physical evaluation: based on the PAS REFORM “Pasgar Score” test, a formula that allows chick quality to be assessed with a numerical value.
Microbiological evaluation: the evaluation of the microbiological quality that works like a barometer of the processes associated with the breeders and the biosecurity of the hatchery.

This approach provides the possibility of anticipating challenges at field level.

3. KPI analysis

GHHP includes data science analysis (powered by HIPRASTATS®) to assess the key performance indicators at the hatchery level and to transform data into useful information to improve the decision-making process.

This service allows an in-depth analysis of the main variable factors that can affect final hatchability and 1st week mortality.

Through all these evaluations, critical points can be detected more easily, and this can help the hatchery team take better decisions. So, what benefits does this programme bring?

Unique real-time vaccination control through traceability.
Anticipation of field challenges.
Detection of areas of improvement through the hatchery’s data.
Savings in time and money by making the most of the vaccination process.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Abdul-Cader, M. S. et al. (2018). Hatchery Vaccination Against Poultry Viral Diseases: Potential Mechanisms and Limitations. Viral Immunology, 31(1), 23–33.
Pas Reform – Hatchery Talks® Pasgar Score.

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A better control of the vaccination process against IBDV is possible

Advertis Agencia — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 11:01:00 +0000

Vaccination against IBDV in hatcheries has become a common practice in poultry since the 90’. The vaccination is performed in-ovo or by subcutaneous injection on the hatch day before the chicks are being placed on farm within a potentially contaminated environment.

It has been demonstrated that IBD prevention at hatchery level can lead to a better vaccine coverage and an increase of the vaccination efficiency. However, there is a particular issue that should be taken into account in this practice: How can the producers be sure that the chicks have been correctly vaccinated? In other words, how can the hatchery demonstrate that they have vaccinated according to the IBDV protocol?

SMART VACCINATION CONCEPT

To address this issue adequately, HIPRA has developed SMART VACCINATION, a completely new and revolutionary concept that helps hatchery managers to control, analyse and certificate their vaccination sessions. This concept of SMART VACCINATION, that has been completely designed, developed and produced by HIPRA, brings together three interconnected elements: highly innovative vaccines, vaccination tools and vaccination management software.

HIGHLY INNOVATIVE VACCINES: A vaccine that features an RFID chip attached to its label that contains all the information relating to the vaccine, such as:as its name, the number of doses, production batch, expiry date and individual identification code of the vial.
VACCINATION TOOLS: A specific vaccine application device for the correct administration of the vaccine that provides precision throughout the vaccination process, low maintenance for the hatchery personnel and traceability of the vaccination process.
VACCINATION MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE: HIPRAlink^® Vaccination software that collects all the information on the vaccination process, generating traceability, and also serves as a management tool, for both, veterinarians and hatchery managers, leading to the planning, control and analysis of the vaccination process.

With SMART VACCINATION, all the vaccination data is automatically collected during the vaccination activity and can be shared with the producer in a total transparent manner. Through SMART VACCINATION, then, the producer can be totally sure that chicks are vaccinated in the hatchery according to protocol for IBD prevention. At the present time, the SMART VACCINATION concept is being revitalized with the launch of a new vaccine, GUMBOHATCH^®, an innovative immune complex vaccine against Gumboro disease with unique IgY from eggs and specific controls to ensure the complete coating of the IBDV virus. For GUMBOHATCH^®, HIPRA has specifically developed a device for the subcutaneous administration of 0.2 ml with a high level of quality and precision throughout the entire process: Hipraject^®.

Besides, HIPRAlink^® Vaccination, the third element of the SMART VACCINATION concept, has also been adapted to record all the vaccination data generated by Hipraject^®, providing traceability and control for the entire vaccination process. It also helps veterinarians and hatchery managers to manage, analyse and certify their own vaccination activity:

Management: Veterinarians or Hatchery Managers can easily check the GUMBOHATCH^® vaccination data for each session: date and time, number of doses, number of chicks, information on the product, speed of the session, farm etc. The vaccination data are recorded automatically and are objective, transparent and reliable.
Analysis: HIPRAlink^® Vaccination can generate vaccination reports for GUMBOHATCH^® to facilitate the analysis of data. In addition, the App shows statistical data in graph form (e.g. trend in the number of doses).
Traceability: The user is able to generate traceability reports for GUMBOHATCH^® that can be shared directly with the recipient company via HIPRAlink^® Vaccination.

Example of traceability report Thanks to the concept of SMART VACCINATION and Hipraject^®, HIPRA ensures the optimal subcutaneous administration of its new immune complex vaccine against Gumboro disease, GUMBOHATCH^®.

La entrada A better control of the vaccination process against IBDV is possible se publicó primero en Gumboro Prevention.

Articles on Diagnosis of Gumboro | Gumboro Prevention

Understanding Infectious Bursal Disease virus diagnostic techniques

Infectious bursal disease clinical diagnosis

SEROLOGY

Why serology diagnostic technique for Infectious Bursal Disease?

MOLECULAR IBD DIAGNOSIS

Why do molecular diagnosis for IBDV?

HISTOPATHOLOGY

CONCLUSIONS

Subclinical Gumboro disease caused by variant strains. What impact do they have?

Therefore, what is the impact of Gumboro variant strains in the poultry industry?

1. Pathogenic impact:

2. Economic impact:

Role of vaccines in combatting the circulation of Gumboro variant strains:

Bibliography

Variant IBDV strains from different countries. Are they related to each other?

Bibliography

Differential diagnosis of IBD symptoms in poultry

Reovirus, Newcastle disease (ND) in its visceral forms, mycotoxicosis, chicken anaemia virus (CAV) and nephrogenic forms of infectious bronchitis (IB) are the main differential diagnoses for IBD

Bibliography

Bursa size, an easy tool to evaluate gumboro vaccination programmes

Bursa of Fabricius, the target organ of IBDV diagnosis

How is bursa size evaluated?

Important points to take into account when using bursa size to evaluate a Gumboro vaccination programme

References:

GLOBAL HATCHERY HEALTH PROGRAMME – A service beyond vaccination for the prevention of Gumboro disease

1. Optimization of vaccination procedures

2. DOC quality control

3. KPI analysis

BIBLIOGRAPHY

A better control of the vaccination process against IBDV is possible

SMART VACCINATION CONCEPT

Reovirus, Newcastle disease (ND) in its visceral forms, mycotoxicosis, chicken anaemia virus (CAV) and nephrogenic forms of infectious bronchitis (IB) are the main differential diagnoses for IBD