Chicken anemia virus is commonly found in commercially produced chickens and has a worldwide distribution. It is difficult to inactivate thermally or with common disinfectants, which limits the utility of normal sanitization practices. The virus is important because of the disease it produces following transovarian transmission and because of its potential for inducing immunosuppression alone or in combination with other infectious agents. Control measures are directed at limiting vertical transmission and preventing coinfections with other lymphocidal agents.