Prelim Necropsy results: ILT MG :( UPDATED July 9 2010

[Senna95]

Okay, so if I vaccinate my birds with the non-shedding vaccine, and I wait a decent amount of time (ie. one year) before adding any new birds or chicks, would my new birds be safe? I'd hate to have to vaccinate all my new birds all the time.

 

[manichicks]

Good question. I am waiting to see how that plays out myself. The Canadians have a blanket policy of vaccinating with LT-Ivax and quarantining for 30 days, even though that is the non shed, tco vaccine. And that has been in place since the 70's I think.
In Maryland, I am vaccinating all my replacement chicks at this time but have had one for sure breakthrough on the vaccination. My plan is to put in unvaccinated chicks once I know all my birds have been replaced with vaccinated birds and see if the disease pops up again. But that is years away, because I either have survivors who carry the herpes virus, or a lot of magically unexposed birds in my barn or some tough old birds with a wonderful natural immunity. So I am hatching out their offspring and vaccinating them or ordering in new breeds. (and vaccinating.)
You can get the vaccine from a distributor in Ga. You may nbeed a state vets help for them to sell to you, but it is cheaper than buying one vial at a time, keep it in the fridge and use it, maybe split the ten vials. but for replacement chicks you have to vaccinate twice...once at four weeks and once at ten.

By the way, Purple Chicken, it is tiamulin (nemagard) that is an alternative to tylan. I think I wrote you tilosin which is tylan. And yes I still think these kill the mycos, based on the tylan protocol for hatching eggs.

 

[Senna95]

Also, if my birds are currently sick and/or recovered, and I vaccinate them, will that stop the virus from shedding in the future, or does it only aply to healthy birds? ie. will the vaccine stop the infected birds from shedding the virus?

 

[manichicks]

Instructions on the vaccine say to only vaccinate healthy birds. Theoretically since it is designed for chicks, with the kind of 'off label' use to annually to revaccinate or to vaccinate birds in an infected environment, I wouldn't vaccinate a bird I think has had it.
If they are recovered from it, that is the same immunity that is given by vaccination. A vaccine exposes the animal being vaccinated to a modified form of the disease so the body can develop antibodies. Thus vaccinated birds will test positive just like exposed birds will. The difference is a bird that has been exposed to a virulent strain, either field strain or from another type of vaccine (ceo) is a carrier and a potential shedder.
What the current ILT situation shows us is that vaccination can cause as many problems as it prevents. Because it is possible that these birds that carried ILT were originally vaccinated with chick embryo origin vaccine, and if they ahd stayed in their production house until turned into stew meat, they would not have infected anyone else. But a vaccine can go virulent and spread the disease. Only a dna test on the virus in an infected bird will tell the researcher if it is a wild strain or a vaccine strain.