New vaccine

Last year I wrote about the herpesvirus. I mentioned that this virus also could be sometimes responsible for large losses of young birds into the racing season, after unloading and sometimes even if the pigeons were trained close to home. The stories were numerous about this, both in Belgium and the Netherlands last year.


Unfortunately I have already seen the first cases of youngsters with obvious clinical signs by an infection with the herpesvirus this year.Several youngsters died . Since 2005
we see a marked increase with symptoms of the pigeon herpesvirus in the clinic . Also striking is that the losses among the youngsters grow every year since then.
If youngsters of lofts in which the herpesvirus is found are basketed it almost always involves large losses.

The tragedy is that these pigeons are basketted round and shiny and the owner can be even convinced that his pigeons on the flight will go to perform.Nothing is less true when it appears that 25-35% of the youngsters can not and will not ever come home again.

In recent years I've seen fanciers that against the advice basketed youngsters in the week after, and then were disappointed because of the sluggishness of the youngsters. This way fanciers often lose
all the yougsters.. Clinically, we often see nothing except for red throats during inspection. But in throat swabs are often large numbers of inflammatory cells. Section often confirms the diagnosis. The situation can be aggravated by an infection with cancer . Streptococci may rise in number also, this can cause to problems.That is why I start a treatment against this secondary infection with these streptococci in case of a Herpes infection.

Against the virus is basically little to do with antibiotics. After all, antibiotics do not work against viruses. Sambucca nigra has a reputation that it is supportive in cases of infections so that I often prescribe it in the form of Bony Sambucca plus as an additional support for use in drinking water with such an outbreak.

Also Bony SGR can prove its reputation..

Until the beginning of this century the Herpesvirus was generally known as a membrane over the eye.. It was sometimes dropped and that was it. It did not caused much more problems. Clinical cases of infection with herpesvirus were until then a fairly big exception. It is now quite different.


Since 2005 I have tried to motivate firms tocimport a herpes vaccine to the Netherlands. I had heard from a Hungarian colleague that he was very happy over a vaccine. Being raised with the knowledge that the herpesvirus was unsuited to apply to a vaccine, I was naturally skeptical. But if we see the developments in the offspring with regard to this disease and heavy losses on the same youngsters then is to vaccinate them not a bad choice.

Time will tell whether the vaccination of the youngsters here leads to the same positive effects that are related to the report by the Hungarian colleague.

The fact is that it took until last week before a company was successful to get the vaccine to the Netherlands.

Since March 28 there is a vaccine available for use against herpesvirus in pigeons. It is a combination vaccine of herpesvirus with Paramyxovirus. This herpes vaccine should be injected two times , in 3-4 weeks apart to achieve its performance. .Preferably from the age of 5 weeks. In itself, the 2x vaccination against paramyxovirus is without further recommended given the number of old birds that were vaccinated only once, and on research were positive off the paramyxovirus.

Possible that this vaccination is a part of the solution to the loss of birds during the young season.


Colombovac PMV Pox

On March 31 we received notification from the wholesaler that the subsequent delivery of the above noted combination vaccine was withdrawn because it is is no longer available. Our stock of this vaccine is now rapidly shrinking so soon against smallpox only can be vaccinated with the familiar brush.
The delivery of the paratyphoid vaccine is again to stagnate. It is unknown if this vaccine is available again.

Success
Peter Boskamp