Ceva Warns of Silent Gumboro Threat as Evolved IBD Strains Undermine Poultry Performance Without Clinical Signs

Speaking at SIAVS 2026, Ceva Animal Health’s global poultry director Marco Lopes has warned that infectious bursal disease has evolved into subclinical forms that circulate widely on farms without visible symptoms — quietly suppressing immune responses, degrading flock performance and compromising the effectiveness of broader vaccination programmes.

Infectious bursal disease, better known as Gumboro, has become a more elusive threat to poultry production as the virus has evolved into forms that often circulate without obvious clinical signs. Speaking at SIAVS 2026, Marco Lopes, global poultry director at Ceva Animal Health, warned that the disease is still widespread on farms but now tends to undermine performance quietly, weakening immune responses and blunting the effect of health programmes.

That shift matters because it can create a false sense of security. According to Ceva’s own poultry materials, effective control depends on vaccination plans tailored to local risk, together with strict biosecurity. Industry commentary from Europe and the Americas points to the same conclusion: sub-clinical IBD is harder to detect, making molecular testing and surveillance increasingly important for accurate diagnosis and for spotting emerging variants.

Research from Saudi Arabia has also underlined the economic cost of the disease and the value of integrated control strategies, while field reports from Canada and the Netherlands suggest the problem remains entrenched in broiler flocks despite long-standing prevention efforts.