Questions about not recommended Mareck Vaccine

[PatS]

Some vaccines are designed to contain live, but weakened virus, and some are designed to contain dead virus. IIRC, the inhaled flu mist vaccine is a live, weakened virus, while the flu shot is dead. You can spread disease to immune compromised or very young or old folks if you have a live virus vaccine. Not so with the dead.

I am new to birds and have no idea if Mareck's is a live, weakened or a dead virus vaccine. If it is a live vaccine, then perhaps it can be spread to other birds.

 

[rizq]

Dubbing is removal of the comb and wattles. Often done on game birds.

 

[pips&peeps]

Quote:
How do they know for sure that the vaccine just didn't fail, as that happens too. Was there some scientific study done????

I have spoken to a Veterinarian at Fort Dodge and there is no indication in any tests they have done that the vaccine virus spreads laterally from chick to unvaccinated chick.

 

[Krys109uk]

Unless it has changed in the last few years, the marek's vaccine was made from the turkey herpes virus which does not infect chickens but is close enough to cause almost all of the chicks (98% if my memory serves) to have immunity to the field virus (Mareks, which is also a type of herpes virus).
Then, if the immune vaccinted birds come into contact with the field virus they can become carriers & can infect other non vaccinated, or non immune birds.

 

[rizq]

Then we return to the original question ... why do they not recommend it? Surely not because of the cost, as it is only a few pennies per bird. Perhaps because it is not really necessary in a small flock ... but since when have most business entities cared about necessity when there is money to be made?

 

[annek]

I see nothing saying that immunized chicks will infect others. I see where it says that it takes 10 days for the full immunity to happen and to keep the chick away from older chickens so that it won't be exposed. It also says that there are different strains happening and the vaccine may not protect against all of them. It also says to do it before 3 weeks of age.

I also get a flu shot every year. The following is from the link I posted earlier.....

Vaccination

Vaccines are recommended as a supplementary control measure with good hygiene management. The normal vaccination practice is to use a live vaccine at one day. As all vaccines require 7-14 days to produce an effective immunity, it is critical to reduce exposure during the first week or so post-hatching.

Freeze-dried and ‘wet’ live vaccines are available. Both types require reconstitution with a diluent. The 'wet' vaccine is kept under liquid nitrogen and needs to be used within one hour and therefore is not really suited for average field use. Under severe conditions, the ‘wet’ vaccines are more effective than the freeze-dried (The Veterinary Formulary, 1998).

The more virulent Rispens strains of Marek’s virus are now being incorporated into vaccines (CyromarexTM, PoulvacTM Marek CVI and NobilisTM Rismavac). All are designed for day-old chicks and are administered by subcutaneous or intramuscular injection.

Although chicks are best vaccinated at one day, at the hatchery, chickens up to 3 weeks old can be vaccinated. Despite the advances in vaccine development, there remains the possibility that a virus might evolve that will overcome these control measures. This may result in a greater emphasis being put on breeding resistant poultry strains. The genetic variation in response to vaccines and the possibility of improving this response by selection are described by Bumstead (1998).

New, more virulent forms of the disease may require future vaccination programmes to rely on "designer vaccines" to combat this problem. Additionally, vaccines may fail to protect vaccinated birds if they are exposed to the virus before immunity develops or if exposure to other diseases (eg. infectious bursal disease) depresses their antibody response to the vaccine.

 

[kingmt]

Quote:
Every time I have had the flu ether I have had the shoot or someone I'm around has had the shoot. As far as I know I have never been around anyone that has had the mist. Dead or alive it makes me very sick so harmless its not. I also don't understand how a dead virus could be passed to someone else & making me believe that it is very much alive.

It does stimulate the economy by people buying tissues & Tylenol.

 

[rizq]

The ONE and only time I have had the flu was the ONE and only time I have had the vaccine. Had to have it. Worked at a clinic and it was required. I have worked around sickies before and not gotten sick but did get the flu that year. I am a firm believer that vaccines do more damage to your immune system than good. I avoid them like the plague. My dogs only get what is required by law as well except one parvo shot at the appropriate age (which is NOT 6 weeks).

Off my soap box. This is not a vaccine debate. Still wonder why they do not recommend the vaccine. We may just have to contact the hatchery and ask.

 

[gabby3535]

To "kingmt"...............

This is just and F.Y.I. post.............but an extremely important F.Y.I.

You 'cannot' get the flu by being around people who have had the flu vaccine...............it is a killed virus.
Oh, and if and when someone comes out with a "H1N1" (Swine Flu) vaccine..........run, don't walk, to your
MD and get the vaccination!!!!! This flu has the very real potential of mutating into an extremely deadly
form (shades of the 1918 pandemic.........which followed the 'exact' same pattern as the recent H1N1 outbreak,
that is currently happening world-wide!)
'It'......1918 influenza........started out as an unusual, and somewhat milld,
Springtime flu........and by the Fall of that same year had mutated into the killer of 1/4 of the world's entire
population!
I would not be inferring that people can get the flu, either from the vaccination itself, or "being around people who
have gotten the vaccine." That is incorrect information that folks on this list might believe to be true.

 

[rizq]

I never said you would get it from the vaccine (I did not say you would not either), I simply said the one time I got the flu was the one time I got the vaccine. At the very least it was not very effective, which seems to be very common with the flu vaccine.

ETA: I missed that you were not addressing me.