The effect of microflora on the severity of infectious bursal disease (IBD) in growing chickens was studied. SPF White Leghorn chicks from non-immune dams were used in Trials 1 and 2 and chicks from immune White Leghorns were used in Trials 3 and 4. Each trial consisted of the following treatments: non-inoculated battery chickens, IBD-inoculated battery chickens, non-inoculated gnotobiotic chickens, and IBD-inoculated gnotobiotic chickens. Chickens were inoculated between 11 and 19 days of age and non-inoculated chickens acted as negative controls. In Trials 1, 2, and 3 a maximum of six different bacteria and two fungi were isolated and identified from the gnotobiotic units. Gnotobiotic units in Trial 4 remained germfree. Severity of the disease in gnotobiotic and battery-inoculated chickens was evaluated at 3 and 4 days postinoculation. External signs and gross lesions characteristic of IBD occurred in battery-inoculated and gnotobiotic-inoculated chickens in all four trials. Gross lesions involved the bursa, spleen, kidney, liver, and skeletal muscles. Microscopic lesions were seen in the bursa, spleen, thymus, kidney, and liver, but not in the cecal tonsil. There were no consistent differences in microscopic lesion scores (for the bursa, thymus, spleen, and kidney) between battery-inoculated and gnotobiotic-inoculated chickens within any trial. However, inoculated chickens in Trials 1 and 2 had higher lesion scores than the inoculated chickens in Trials 3 and 4. The presence or absence of microflora did not affect the severity of IBD in White Leghorns.
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HENRY et al. (1980) studied this question.
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