Suspect Bird Flu

[Ian McKay]

Preparing for a cull not good news

 

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-35278722

[andy Burgess]

seems isolated , so hopefully thats the only case

[THE FIFER]

Think they are a bit more experienced now at retaining it quicker , and stopping it spreading.

[Guest bigda]

they should ban, all birds from scotland that are intent, on showing at the blackpool show. till further notice

[greenbar]

fife is wee bit, to near hand for me,

[Ian McKay]

they should ban, all birds from scotland that are intent, on showing at the blackpool show. till further notice

 

 

 

Sledge hammer to crack a nut syndrome :emoticon-0179-headbang:

[philg50]

they should ban, all birds from scotland that are intent, on showing at the blackpool show. till further notice

The clue is in the title is it not (Suspect) !! so go easy .

[Ian McKay]

The clue is in the title is it not (Suspect) !! so go easy .

 

 

Now confirmed Phil but it is low pathogenic and low risk

[Bryngwynt Lofts]

Always seems to raise its head Blackpool time,or just before racing starts.

[kingbilly 1]

Preparing for a cull not good news

 

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-35278722

Wot are the symptoms to look out for in birds

[Roland]

Don't think we ought to be looking for tale tell signs King. Could cause mass hysteria and a very high percentage of miss called alarms. JMO

[gulkie]

Did we not get an outbreak at the same time last year.?

[sandy25]

Its at townhead farm which is next to townhead loch just the other side of dunfermline really is a bit close for myself glad now that my birds havent been out for the past 3 weeks .problem is that lots of people excersise their dogs in that area , maybe the bad weather lately has been a blessing in disguise and helped to keep most away from the area .Here's hoping that that has been the case......

[Guest Jamsie]

When this first broke out years ago was it no said the pigeons couldn't catch or carry bird flu ?? Am sure a heard that at the time.

[kingbilly 1]

Don't think we ought to be looking for tale tell signs King. Could cause mass hysteria and a very high percentage of miss called alarms. JMO

I think your wrong mate every One has a duty of care to look out for thiss in there lofts the same as any other diseases especially if it could kill people pigeons can be replaced people cant and as far as missing a race program there will be. Others

[Guest bigda]

I think your wrong mate every One has a duty of care to look out for thiss in there lofts the same as any other diseases especially if it could kill people pigeons can be replaced people cant and as far as missing a race program there will be. Others

 

Totally agree hear with you tam if in doubt wipe them out

[sandy25]

Its at townhead farm which is next to townhead loch just the other side of dunfermline really is a bit close for myself glad now that my birds havent been out for the past 3 weeks .problem is that lots of people excersise their dogs in that area , maybe the bad weather lately has been a blessing in disguise and helped to keep most away from the area .Here's hoping that that has been the case......

Its TOWNHILL FARM not Townhead as I stated above ( I stand corrected by her indoors ) boys I'll never hear the end o this .....

also just been corrected on the fact that its TOWNHILL LOCH as well

why then I'll go to the fit o oor stairs and ....................

[gordi.b]

Naughty step Sandy

[sammy]

Sledge hammer to crack a nut syndrome :emoticon-0179-headbang:

:emoticon-0140-rofl: :emoticon-0140-rofl:

[greenlands]

What are the symptoms of avian flu in poultry?

 

Symptoms of a low pathogenic form of avian flu virus in poultry can include ruffled feathers, lower feed consumption, and a drop in egg production, or there may be no symptoms at all. By contrast, the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus causes severe illness and often kills the bird within 48 hours and the first sign may be dead birds. More than 90% of birds in a flock may die from infection with highly pathogenic avian flu viruses.

[kingziemckay]

it has been scientifically proven that pigeons are not carriers,

of any type of avian flu,

[sandy25]

Naughty step Sandy

Yes thats it the one wi the big "N" on it ....and the carpet worn oot haha...

[Guest bigda]

it has been scientifically proven that pigeons are not carriers,

of any type of avian flu,

What is the name of this scientists, pigeons are known on this forum as falling of perches all by them self. Could be bird flu but not. Reported. To defra

[C WRIGHT]

CERTAINLY NOTHING SUGESTS THAT PIGEONS ARE A THREAT

FROM ALL THREADS FOUND

 

Pigeons Don't Pose Bird Flu Threat

Published April 24, 2006

 

 

 

A major survey and testing regime was undertaken among wild and free-flying domestic ducks and geese, wild or free-flying domestic birds closely associated with poultry farms, poultry manure or poultry carcasses, mice and rats found inside and around houses containing infected poultry and wild birds of any species reported sick or dead in the quarantine zone.

 

Included in this survey were 473 pigeons, 92.6 percent obtained from known infected farms, 81 pigeon feet (all from flu-affected premises) and seven mourning doves.

 

None of the 4132 samples was positive for the bird flu virus, nor were others taken from a further 433 pigeons in the quarantine zone. Experimental attempts to infect pigeons with this strain did not result in any growth of the virus in the birds, or result in the production of any antibodies.

Another study published in 1996 into the susceptibility of pigeons to avian flu found that groups of pigeons innoculated with two strains of deadly virus or two strains of a non-fatal virus remained healthy for the entire three-week trial period, nor did the birds shed the virus, or develop antibodies to the disease – further evidence that pigeons are not a factor in the spread of this disease.

 

 

 

An additional 50 pigeons, collected from within the quarantine zone, were also negative for the influenza virus. Experimental attempts made to infect pigeons with the highly pathogenic H5N2 strain of avian influenza did not result in either multiplication of the virus or any evidence of antibodies in the blood. The results of all of these studies indicated that pigeons were not infected with avian influenza and did not spread it.

 

 

Another study published in 1996 on the susceptibility of pigeons to avian influenza found that groups of pigeons inoculated with two strains of highly pathogenic influenza virus, or two strains of non-pathogenic virus, remained healthy during the 21-day trial period. The sample did not shed virus and did not develop antibodies to this disease - further evidence that pigeons are not a factor in the spread of avian influenza. More recent scientific evidence, from experimental work in 2001/2002, has shown that pigeons infected with the highly pathogenic form of the virus (designated H5N1 of Hong Kong origin) did not develop signs of this disease and did not have detectable changes to the disease in their tissues. Neither was the virus found in their tissues and nor was it re-isolated from swabs of tissues. These findings indicated once again that pigeons (along with starlings, rats and rabbits used in these studies) are largely resistant to infection with this highly pathogenic strain of the virus.

 

 

Do pigeons carry and spread avian influenza viruses in nature?

The H5N1 avian influenza virus was isolated from one dead pigeon in Hong Kong in 2001, while all other birds sampled around the quarantine area, including 57 other pigeons, tested negative for the virus. In 2002, comparative studies involving pigeons and other bird species determined that pigeons were resistant or minimally susceptible to infection with avian influenza viruses. In 2003, various avian influenza viruses were isolated from 0.5% of the pigeons sampled in south central China. In 2006, a total of six individual pigeons were found infected with H5N1 avian influenza virus in Romania, Turkey and the Ukraine. These findings suggest that pigeons have played a minimal role in the spread of the virus. However, the latest studies conducted with the H5N1 avian influenza virus, which emerged in Asia in 2004, demonstrated an increased susceptibility of pigeons to this virus compared to the 1997 Hong Kong virus. Thus, the general public should try to avoid unnecessary close contact with feral pigeons, especially in places where pigeons congregate in large numbers.

 

 

In one experiment, researchers squirted into pigeons' mouths liquid drops that contained the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus from a Hong Kong sample. The birds got about 100 to 1,000 times the concentration that wild birds would encounter in nature. "We couldn't infect the pigeons," Swayne said. "So that's good news."

 

In 2004, the lab did two more experiments. Using a pigeon and a crow that had both died in Thailand, researchers gave 12 pigeons similarly high doses of the bird flu virus. Seven became infected and one died. Five others did not become infected.

 

"What that tells us is that pigeons can be susceptible. But they're not uniformly susceptible," Swayne said. "Not like chickens or ducks — they all become infected."

 

Infected pigeons carried the virus about 10 days. But they were infectious for only about two days and then at levels below what it would normally take to infect a chicken.

 

"The experimental data is not very strong that pigeons are going to be spreading this virus around," Swayne said. "At this point they have not been implicated in spreading it to humans and to farms.

[Guest bigda]

CERTAINLY NOTHING SUGESTS THAT PIGEONS ARE A THREAT

FROM ALL THREADS FOUND

 

Pigeons Don't Pose Bird Flu Threat

Published April 24, 2006

 

 

 

A major survey and testing regime was undertaken among wild and free-flying domestic ducks and geese, wild or free-flying domestic birds closely associated with poultry farms, poultry manure or poultry carcasses, mice and rats found inside and around houses containing infected poultry and wild birds of any species reported sick or dead in the quarantine zone.

 

Included in this survey were 473 pigeons, 92.6 percent obtained from known infected farms, 81 pigeon feet (all from flu-affected premises) and seven mourning doves.

 

None of the 4132 samples was positive for the bird flu virus, nor were others taken from a further 433 pigeons in the quarantine zone. Experimental attempts to infect pigeons with this strain did not result in any growth of the virus in the birds, or result in the production of any antibodies.

Another study published in 1996 into the susceptibility of pigeons to avian flu found that groups of pigeons innoculated with two strains of deadly virus or two strains of a non-fatal virus remained healthy for the entire three-week trial period, nor did the birds shed the virus, or develop antibodies to the disease – further evidence that pigeons are not a factor in the spread of this disease.

 

 

 

An additional 50 pigeons, collected from within the quarantine zone, were also negative for the influenza virus. Experimental attempts made to infect pigeons with the highly pathogenic H5N2 strain of avian influenza did not result in either multiplication of the virus or any evidence of antibodies in the blood. The results of all of these studies indicated that pigeons were not infected with avian influenza and did not spread it.

 

 

Another study published in 1996 on the susceptibility of pigeons to avian influenza found that groups of pigeons inoculated with two strains of highly pathogenic influenza virus, or two strains of non-pathogenic virus, remained healthy during the 21-day trial period. The sample did not shed virus and did not develop antibodies to this disease - further evidence that pigeons are not a factor in the spread of avian influenza. More recent scientific evidence, from experimental work in 2001/2002, has shown that pigeons infected with the highly pathogenic form of the virus (designated H5N1 of Hong Kong origin) did not develop signs of this disease and did not have detectable changes to the disease in their tissues. Neither was the virus found in their tissues and nor was it re-isolated from swabs of tissues. These findings indicated once again that pigeons (along with starlings, rats and rabbits used in these studies) are largely resistant to infection with this highly pathogenic strain of the virus.

 

 

Do pigeons carry and spread avian influenza viruses in nature?

The H5N1 avian influenza virus was isolated from one dead pigeon in Hong Kong in 2001, while all other birds sampled around the quarantine area, including 57 other pigeons, tested negative for the virus. In 2002, comparative studies involving pigeons and other bird species determined that pigeons were resistant or minimally susceptible to infection with avian influenza viruses. In 2003, various avian influenza viruses were isolated from 0.5% of the pigeons sampled in south central China. In 2006, a total of six individual pigeons were found infected with H5N1 avian influenza virus in Romania, Turkey and the Ukraine. These findings suggest that pigeons have played a minimal role in the spread of the virus. However, the latest studies conducted with the H5N1 avian influenza virus, which emerged in Asia in 2004, demonstrated an increased susceptibility of pigeons to this virus compared to the 1997 Hong Kong virus. Thus, the general public should try to avoid unnecessary close contact with feral pigeons, especially in places where pigeons congregate in large numbers.

 

 

In one experiment, researchers squirted into pigeons' mouths liquid drops that contained the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus from a Hong Kong sample. The birds got about 100 to 1,000 times the concentration that wild birds would encounter in nature. "We couldn't infect the pigeons," Swayne said. "So that's good news."

 

In 2004, the lab did two more experiments. Using a pigeon and a crow that had both died in Thailand, researchers gave 12 pigeons similarly high doses of the bird flu virus. Seven became infected and one died. Five others did not become infected.

 

"What that tells us is that pigeons can be susceptible. But they're not uniformly susceptible," Swayne said. "Not like chickens or ducks — they all become infected."

 

Infected pigeons carried the virus about 10 days. But they were infectious for only about two days and then at levels below what it would normally take to infect a chicken.

 

"The experimental data is not very strong that pigeons are going to be spreading this virus around," Swayne said. "At this point they have not been implicated in spreading it to humans and to farms.

As stated they can get it as like the swan and we have read on here of birds dying showing no signs of illness yet said. It was a heart attack.