ILT question

[shelleyb1969]

Ok, all this ILT talk has gotten me pretty scared...even though I generally don't "wheel and deal" in chickens. I've got a couple of questions about ILT, and I can't seem to find any clear cut answers.
If a bird is exposed to other birds with ILT, but never shows any symptoms itself, and is vaccinated for the disease...is it still an ILT carrier? And can this bird be tested?
If a bird such as this is possible, then how many backyard flocks may actually have ILT carriers in them going undetected? SCARY!

 

[shelleyb1969]

Also, if this bird IS a carrier, I'm assuming that future vaccinations would be useless?
If all of the answers to my questions is yes, then disposing of the bird is the best/only alternative? There's no hope for the bird whatsoever?

 

[speckledhen]

Depending on the vaccine, the vaccine itself can make a bird a carrier. I dont know if I can really answer the first question about being exposed but not showing symptoms. That is probably why most states will cull your entire flock for a positive ILT test.

My own personal opinion is that ALL birds with respiratory symptoms should be culled. That may be tough if it's the entire flock and has something that seems milder than ILT. If you treat any respiratory illness in your flock, you have weakened the entire flock by leaving those birds in there. You want to build a flock with tough immune systems. Others will have a different opinion, I know.

 

[shelleyb1969]

Quote:
Thanks, speckledhen. I've been doing a lot of reading up on this, and it just seems so confusing. If there are birds that are carriers with no symptoms, then really........how many of us could possibly have them and experience an outbreak brought on merely by stress?

 

[speckledhen]

I agree, it's scary because a seemingly healthy bird can be a carrier of something awful. I really wish I had a definitive answer for you about all this. I just will not buy birds at all, from anyone. I know there are some diseases that can be passed through the egg, though they are not as many as passed from bird to bird or contaminated surface to bird. That's why I even get my eggs from very trusted people, when I have to get them from somewhere other than my own closed flock.

 

[swtangel321]

Not sure if there is any info on here that will help but check it out..... http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/agdex2216

 

[ivan3]

Links to yearly reports (lots on info on ILT/VLT) of the USAHA working group. 2005/2006 have relatively extensive info on the use of the three available vaccines (primarily directed towards commercial producers, but very informative).

http://www.usaha.org/committees/reports/2005/report-pad-2005.pdf

http://www.usaha.org/committees/reports/2006/report-pad-2006.pdf

http://www.usaha.org/committees/reports/2007/report-pad-2007.pdf