Molecular Biology, Immunosuppression and Pathogenesis of Infectious Bursal Disease Virus

Infectious bursal disease (IBD), caused by infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV), is one of the most devastating and immunosuppressive diseases of the poultry and has been a constraint on the sustainable food security around the globe including Pakistan. Poultry industry is the second biggest industry in Pakistan while IBD is an important disease seriously threatening poultry farming. Despite the use of mass and intense vaccination regimens, the disease continues to sustain in many countries around the globe including Pakistan. However, to some extent, the epidemic strains and epidemic patterns predominant strains of IBDV in Pakistan is unclear. This highlights the need to characterize field strains of IBDV to ascertain the evidence of vaccine failure and to establish foundations for the development of vaccine matching with the epidemic strains.