Its made it worse.

[Merlin]

Vic

I am one of the old school of fanciers,having seen the word Circovirus in print several times,never really taking note of,but now that I have read up on it,when its consequences is  compared as "similar to aids in Humans" I dread to think what the outcome would be,if this ever gets a strong hold,as its capable of doing being a virus, but do see where you are coming from,regarding the emergence of this disease. Again sorry for your misfortune.

[Guest Vic]

Merlin. strict culling and  sharp observation, seems the only way out.The remaining birds will become immune to it they reckon. No more dead ybs, and all seems rosy, since I have done the infected ones in. But who really knows?  

[Guest IB]

After a talk with the vet, he related the following. Definitely no signs of Salmonella.He says that it is almost certainly Circovirus ...He says, if I cull any birds that I suspect carry the virus, and any infected ybs,and parents, my stock should become immune to the situation. ...

 

So it looks like I have some culling in front of me.. anything that looks out of place, in my loft, will be put down and that's about it.  ...

 

When I read the piece on Herpesvirus, I'd come to same conclusion that it was a cull job, but didn't post as I felt you had to reach that decision yourself.

 

I'm sure there are threads on herpes- and circovirus on Health Board and I know that I have posted on Circovirus before because I have a copy of what I posted, plus a scientific paper describing the infection in pigeons. It is the equivalent of AIDS in pigeons.

 

One of my previous posts:-

 

There is work published on Circovirus. An article appeared in the BHW a couple of years back.

 

Early in the bird's life it can attack the Bursa of Fabricius leaving the immune system in theory physically able to do its job, but in practice without 'the chemical instructions' on how to go about it.

 

 

Copied from the earlier piece posted on the immune system: Bursa of Fabricius …is the source of antigen-producing B-lymphocytes ... the cells that produce antibodies .... At about the time of the bird's sexual maturity, it has atrophied and no longer functions."

 

 

The Thymus gland … programs ….certain antigens. T-lymphocytes ..are the same as …the B-cells, but are programmed in the Thymus rather than the Bursa of Fabricus.

 

Antigens are chemical warriors educated & trained by the Bursa & Thymus to recognise and take out anything nasty in the bird’s body.

 

Title: Observations on detection, excretion and transmission of pigeon circovirus in adult, young and embryonic pigeons

 

Author(s): Duchatel JP, Todd D, Smyth JA, Bustin JC, Vindevogel H

Source: AVIAN PATHOLOGY 35 (1): 30-34 FEB 2006

 

Abstract: Infections with pigeon circovirus (PICV) occur in young racing pigeons and pigeons raised for meat production and have been reported worldwide, but relatively little is known about the disease induced by PICV infection. The aim of this study was to investigate how PiCV is transmitted. Using a sensitive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, the presence of PICV was investigated in a wide range of samples from adult pigeons, embryos, breeders and young birds, which were derived from a racing loft that had a clinical history of "young pigeon sickness" and in which PICV had been previously been diagnosed. Using PCR, PICV DNA was detected in tissues of 13/20 apparently healthy older birds, aged from I to 9 years. Viral DNA was most commonly detected in the respiratory organs, including the trachea, pharynx and lung, followed by tissues such as the spleen, kidney and liver. It was also detected in the ovary and/or testes of some birds. This finding, and the detection of viral DNA in tissues from 8/22 embryos, suggested that PiCV may be vertically transmitted. Testing of pharyngeal and cloacal swabs, and blood samples, collected immediately before the death of the adult pigeons, failed to detect all birds found to be infected at necropsy, suggesting that testing of potential breeding birds would not enable exclusion of infected birds from breeding programmes. Additional PCR testing of cloacal swab samples obtained sequentially from 19 young pigeons showed that while four were excreting virus when 15 days old, only one bird was excreting at the time of weaning (28 days old). The detection of viral DNA in cloacal swab samples from 15.8% of the birds when 37 days old and 100% of birds when 51 days old suggested that most young pigeons probably became infected in the rearing loft.

 

 

Vertical Transmission means the hen bird passes on the virus to to her offspring through the egg. This may explain why certain lofts get YBS every year.

[Guest Vic]

Yes, I must admit, it's a matter of life or death. Serious Indeed!

[jimmy white]

circovirus,, the cause of lethargy , gastrointestinal signs and poor racing performance in young  birds     remembering young bird sickness[we only call it that] is not a

recognised  desease , it could be a multiple of things , usually followed by secondry infection , but the question i think vic is getting at,, did we have all this b4 we started vaccinating for paramyxo ,, i dont think so