The emerging naturally reassortant strain of IBDV (genotype A2dB3) having segment A from Chinese novel variant strain and segment B from HLJ 0504-like very virulent strain showed enhanced pathogenicity to three-yellow chickens.

Novel variant infectious bursal disease virus (nvIBDV) is an emerging pathotype that can cause sub-clinical disease with severe, prolonged immunosuppression in young chickens. At present, two major pathotypes, including vvIBDV and nvIBDV, are prevailing in China. In this study, we propose that the nvIBDV is a new genotype (A2dB1b) and also first isolated and characterized a nvIBDV reassortant strain YL160304 (A2dB3) with segments A and B derived, respectively, from the nvIBDV and the HLJ-0504-like vvIBDV from yellow chickens in southern China. The YL160304 causes more extensive cytotropism and can infect specific-pathogen-free chicken embryos with severe subcutaneous hemorrhage. The pathogenicity of YL160304 to 4-week-old three-yellow chickens was determined and compared with those of the nvIBDV QZ191002 and the HLJ-0504-like vvIBDV NN1172. Weight gain was significantly reduced in all the challenged birds. No clinical signs and associated mortality were observed in the birds challenged with QZ191002, while the mortalities in the birds challenged with NN1172 and YL160304 were 30% (3/10) and 10% (1/10), respectively. At 7 days postchallenge, the bursa was severely damaged and the percentage of peripheral blood B lymphocyte (PBBL) decreased significantly in all the challenged birds and the quantity of the viral RNA detected in the bursa was in accordance with the results of the histomorphometry and the depletion of PBBL. This study not only confirmed the emerging epidemic of the novel variant and its reassortant strains, but also discovered that the naturally reassortant nvIBDV strain with the segment B of HLJ 0504-like vvIBDV can significantly enhance the pathogenicity to chickens.