The genetic heterogeneity of infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) vaccine strains was compared with IBDV detected in bursa tissue of commercially reared chickens. The vaccine strains tested represented classic viruses from the United States, South Africa, England, and France plus variant viruses from the United States. Bursa tissue samples used for the detection of IBDV from commercially reared chickens were from the United States. Genetic heterogeneity was examined using restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLP) of a 743-bp fragment of the VP2 gene that was amplified using reverse transcriptase/polymerase chain reaction (RT/PCR). The RT/PCR products were digested using restriction enzymes BstNI and MboI. On the basis of RFLP profiles, viruses were placed into molecular groups. Thirty-eight vaccine and laboratory strains of IBDV were placed into five molecular groups. Groups 1 and 2 contained variant viruses, groups 3 and 4 contained classic viruses, and group 5 contained Lukert/Edgar strain classic viruses. In contrast to these five molecular groups, 22 molecular groups were observed for 70 IBDV-positive samples from U.S. chicken flocks. Twenty-two of the 70 IBDV-positive samples were placed into molecular groups 1 (2 samples), 2 (18 samples), and 5 (2 samples). Nineteen new RFLP profiles that did not match the five molecular groups observed for vaccine strains were detected. No viruses were observed to have RFLP profiles like molecular groups 3 and 4 observed in the vaccine strains. The genetic heterogeneity was greater among IBDV strains circulating in commercially reared poultry compared with vaccine strains of the virus.