Monday, December 12, 2011

Marek's Disease

Marek's disease


Introduction

Marek’s disease (MD) i s a lymphoproliferative disease of chicken caused by cell associated MD herpes virus (MDV) and is characterized by multiple T-cell lymphoma formation in visceral organs, muscles, skin and lesions in peripheral nerves (Calnek and Witter, 1991). Clinical signs observed for MD vary from mild depression followed by ataxia and paralysis, skin nodular lesions, stunting and mortality (Santinet al., 2006).The avian leucosis virus induces a well studied lymphoma in chicken called lymphoid leucosis (Pizer and Humpheries, 1989). From the 1980s and 1990s highly virulent strains have become a problem in North America and Europe.

The disease has various manifestations: a) Neurological - Acute infiltration of the CNS and nerves resulting in 'floppy broiler syndrome' and transient paralysis, as well as more long-standing paralysis of legs or wings and eye lesions; b) Visceral - Tumours in heart, ovary, tests, muscles, lungs; c) Cutaneous - Tumours of feather follicles.

Morbidity is 10-50% and mortality up to 100%. Mortality in an affected flock typically continues at a moderate or high rate for quite a few weeks. In 'late' Marek's the mortality can extend to 40 weeks of age. Affected birds are more susceptible to other diseases, both parasitic and bacterial.

The route of infection is usually respiratory and the disease is highly contagious being spread by infective feather-follicle dander, fomites, etc. Infected birds remain viraemic for life. Vertical transmission is not considered to be important.

The virus survives at ambient temperature for a long time (65 weeks) when cell associated and is resistant to some disinfectants (quaternary ammonium and phenol). It is inactivated rapidly when frozen and thawed.



Other Names


• range paralysis
• neural & ocular lymphomatosis

Organism or Mechanism


Six different herpes viruses


Signs

  • Paralysis of legs, wings and neck.
  • Loss of weight.
  • Grey iris or irregular pupil.
  • Vision impairment.
  • Skin around feather follicles raised and roughened.

Post-mortem lesions

  • Grey-white foci of neoplastic tissue in liver, spleen, kidney, lung, gonads, heart, and skeletal muscle.
  • Thickening of nerve trunks and loss of striation.
  • Microscopically - lymphoid infiltration is polymorphic.

Diagnosis

History, clinical signs, distribution of lesions, age affected, histopathology.
Differentiate from Lymphoid leukosis, botulism, deficiency of thiamine, deficiency of Ca/Phosphorus/Vitamin D, especially at the start of lay.





Preventative Measures

• Vaccinate. (Click to read more...)
• Remove litter after infection since it can persist in litter for years.
• Practice an all-in, all-out policy with disinfecting between batches.
• Rear you birds away from older birds for the first 2-3 months.
• Reduce insect populations in houses.

 Hygiene, all-in/all-out production, resistant strains, vaccination generally with 1500 PFU of HVT at day old (but increasingly by in-ovo application at transfer), association with other strains (SB1 Sero-type 2) and Rispen's.

 It is common practice to use combinations of the different vaccine types in an effort to broaden the protection achieved. Genetics can help by increasing the frequency of the B21 gene that confers increased resistance to Marek's disease challenge.



Management Treatments

It's always Good to vaccinate the birds. Because Marek's Vaccine gives the best protection for your flock.

Physical Treatments


Nutritional Treatments


Herbal Treatments

1. Scurrula oortiana (Tea Mistletoe) Stem Extract to reduce the viral activity




2. Regular garlic Allium sativum L. can play a significant role in reducing malignant disease. Evidence points to the ability of allyl sulfides to suppress tumour development. The preventive use of garlic for its anticarcinogenic properties may therefore have value for minimising the effects of poultry disease in which tumour development is a symptom eg. Marek's Disease.
Dosage for Small Animals:
Fresh garlic: 1 clove (approx 3-4g) per 20-25 kg as a guide has not resulted in anemia in Wynn & Fougere's experience.
Dried herb: 15-20mg/kg, divided daily (optimally, TID[3 times daily]).
Tincture: (usually in 25%-40% ethanol): 1:2-1:3:0.5mL per 10kg, divided daily (optimally, TID[3 times daily]) and diluted or combined with other herbs.

So, a clove of fresh garlic each day for a pen of half a dozen laying birds would be about what is being described, depending on their weight.






Useful links:

http://www.nif.org.in/poultry

Homeopathic Treatments


• If paralysis, birds unable to stand and walk give—Causticum.
• If skin thickened by tumors, feather follicles thickened and leathery give--Calc flour,
Calc carb.
• If iris effected and white appearance give--Arg nit, Euphrasia.
• If sciatic nerve is enlarged give--Kali phos 6x, Kali sulph 6x.

Special Homeopathic Treatments:



There is a cure for Marek's Disease.  It is a homeopathic remedy called "Hypericum."  Hypericum is a small creeping herb that, when used hollistically, numbs nerves and dulls pain.  When given to a bird suffering from the symptoms of Marek's Disease, it will cure the bird by working on the theory that "like cures like," in other words, by giving the bird the symptoms it will take the symptoms away.  I've used this herb with great success to fully cure birds of Marek's Disease.  You can fnd Hypericum at health food stores, $8 for 100 tablets.  Hypericum must be diluted before it can be used:

- 1 tablespoon of DISTILLED water per tablet Hypericum (must be distilled water, tap water is ionized and will deactivate the Hypericum)
- MUST be mixed in a GLASS or PLASTIC bowl (metal with react with the water and herb)
- drip 5-10 drops (bantam) or 10-15 drops (large fowl) on the afflicted bird's tongue.  Be sure the bird rubs its beak together because the Hypericum MUST touch the sinuses (located on the roof of the mouth) in order to work
- treat every 12 hours (morning and night) with a fresh batch
- recovery may be as quick as 1 day or as slow as several months

The treatment works best if you begin treating early.  If you delay treatment, the Hypericum may not work or it may be a very slow recovery.  IF YOU OVERDOSE YOUR BIRDS ON HYPERICUM, don't worry.  The bird will exhibit extreme symptoms, and make a drastic improvment within a 24 hours.  Hypericum is also helpful for pain.  Only treat birds that are showing symptoms.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypericum


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Symptoms and Vaccination



3 comments:

  1. Thank you for this. I am looking into using hypericum for my chick who is about 12 weeks old but had been paralyzed for about a month from 5 or 6 weeks old. It's doing well few when getting about but still shakes. I'm hoping hypericum will help with this. But have I left it too late for it to work (only found out about this herb a few days ago). Keep my chicken is tiny. It should be as big as an adult pekin by now but it's a big as a small black bird I would say. I haven't weighed this week but last week it was 240g. For the month that it couldn't walk it Remained at just 180g. So if it is less than 300g all that size should I use? Thank you.!

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