What you need to know about Gumboro disease

Gumboro, also known as Infectious Bursal Disease (IBD), is an acute and highly contagious viral infection of chickens of three weeks or older.

The disease targets the lymphoid tissue with a special predilection of the ‘bursa of Fabricius’ (Cloacal bursa), necessary for proper development of the immune system in birds.

Malam Umar A. Umar, a breeder at the National Animal Production Research Institute (NAPRI) in Shika, Zaria, explained that the disease is characterised by various degrees of immune suppression, with a sudden onset and high mortality of up to 100 per cent within first three days of infection.

He noted that the disease is not seasonal as such, good feeding and management practices need to be maintained at all times because poultry with poor/low immunity are more susceptible to it.

Umar outlined that the symptoms of Gumboro include; bloody haemorrhages in the chest area, whitish/yellowish diarrhoea, huddling of the birds, anorexia/poor feeding, in addition to dropping of their wings, shivering and high fever.

The breeder advised farmers to administer vaccines at the appropriate time because the virus may be persistent in the poultry houses due to its high resistance, adding that pens need to be properly disinfected before stocking.

Similarly, Malam Umar advised that the all-in-all-out system of management should be practiced; which means that re-adding new set of chicks to an existing stock should be avoided, and stocks of different ages should be raised separately.

He advised farmers to practice good sanitation and hygiene and avoid stressing the birds especially during the brooding period.