Infectious bursal disease (IBD) is a contagious infection of chicken that causes complicated immunosuppressive disease, leading to significant economic loss. Genetic characterization of the circulating field virus plays a significant role in controlling the disease in any particular region. Therefore, this study investigated IBD cases in indigenous Kurdish breed chicken and broiler farms and to investigate the accessible vaccine strain that homologs with the field strain in Sulaymaniyah province, Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The viral protein 2 (VP2) nucleotide and amino acid sequences of two field strains were analyzed in conjunction with 74 IBD virus (IBDV) sequence data in the world from GenBank. Also, the field strains were genetically compared with 30 vaccine strains from GenBank. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the very virulent IBDV strain that is circulating in indigenous Kurdish poultry was different from that of broiler farms. Genetic analysis indicated that the available vaccine strain, D78, that is used in the vaccination program probably does not provide adequate protection from current field strain. Therefore, this study suggests field assessment of a higher homology vaccine, MB vaccine strain in term to evaluate safety and protective immunity.

To Cite This Article: Saeed NM, 2021. Sequence analysis and comparison of infectious bursal disease virus affecting indigenous Kurdish breed and broiler chickens in Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Pak Vet J, 41(2): 249-253. http://dx.doi.org/10.29261/pakvetj/2021.017