This post is intended only to be helpful in the discussion
regarding PBFD infection. I don't personally know any of
the parties involved, so I don't have any reason to favor
one person's view over the other. Please don't crucify me
for my opinions until you read the entire post...
To Michael L (and others who were interested): There IS
such a thing as "low level PBFD infection." Testing for
PBFD cannot be compared to pregnancy testing. In a
pregnancy test, you are looking for ONE thing, and that is
either present or not present. In disease testing, there
are multiple organisms (in this case, PBFD viral
organisms), so there can be different amounts of this in
each sample taken. Compare it to a fecal analysis for some
parasite. One sample may contain approximately 10
parasitic organisms while another may contain 1000. The
testing facility may call the first case a "low level
infection" due to the fact that there are not as many
organisms present as in the other sample.
You're right, Michael, in that the most common test for
PBFD is done by PCR (polymerase chain reaction). PCR works
by locating a small, specific sequence of DNA and
multiplying it hundreds of thousands of times over. Since
the virus is very small and any sample sent may contain
billions of other DNA pieces (the bird's actual DNA, DNA of
other environmental agents, DNA of any other organism the
bird has), this multiplication is necessary in order to
isolate the DNA of choice and verify that it is there (if
it really is present). The multiplication process happens
exponentially: a small amount of viral DNA in the original
sample will result in a lot of DNA after the PCR process is
completed, but a large amount of viral DNA in the orignal
sample will result in HUGE amounts of DNA after the PCR
process. This is how "low level" and "high level" can be
determined.
So, with all that said, what does "low level infection"
really mean? Well, it could mean a few different things.
It could mean that the bird has recently been infected with
PBFD, and the virus has not had the opportunity to
reproduce to a large extent in the bird's body. It could
also mean that the bird has had the virus for some time,
but is mounting an effective immune response to it and is
fighting it off. Or, it could also possibly mean that the
sample taken for testing was contaminated AFTER it was
taken from the bird, either by the person taking the sample
(not washing instruments, hands, or the area the sample was
taken from) or by the testing facility.
To MKay: I understand your point in defending the health
of your birds, due to the fact that you have not seen
physical symptoms in your aviary. However, the lack of
physical symptoms does not insure that you don't have PBFD
virus somewhere in your home. If you have not tested every
bird you've brought into your house and found them
negative, then you cannot be sure that they do not have the
disease. Also, if you are purchasing any bird related
items from a place that also has birds (including food,
cages, toys, perches, dishes, etc) and not thoroughly
disinfecting them before they come in contact with your
group, then there will always be a risk that there is
something lurking. Instead of becoming immediately
defensive, might I suggest doing an environmental swab of
your main bird area(s) just to confirm that your area is
clean? An environmental swab will not tell you which birds
are infected (if there is an infection) or where it came
from, but you would know that some sort of action should be
taken. However, if it comes back clean, then you can
breath a sigh of relief and have actual physical proof that
the birds you sold were more than likely NOT infected when
they were sold. The test costs $25 through Avian Biotech --
a small price to pay for peace of mind.
To Dottie: I'm sorry that you are going through this
again, as I remember discussing PBFD with you several
months ago. However, there are some points here that you
should concentrate on, rather than immediately blaming the
breeder of the birds. First of all, if you did not
previously do environmental testing of the area where you
keep your birds, then no amount of scrubbing will prove
that things were completely disinfected after the formerly
infected birds. Environmental swabs can be done by anyone,
and it is affordable. Secondly, if the previously stated
statistics were true about the number of birds your vet has
tested for PBFD and the number of positive results, I, too,
would be suspicious of the methods used by the vet when
taking the samples. Every instrument used in the testing
should be thoroughly sterilized before being reused, the
vet should wash up, disinfect the exam table, and any
packaging materials used to send the sample out should be
new. Now, I could possibly see that if the greater
majority of the birds this vet has tested that came back
positive were from one aviary. If this is the case, and
the testing was done in the vet's office, a VERY thorough
disinfection of that office should have followed in order
to prevent the vet's office being the place where birds
come in contact with the virus. This has been known to
happen on many occasions.
If the lovebirds that you've tested have come back
with "low level infection" of PBFD, then I would not
immediately panic yet. Wait a few months (do NOT bring any
other birds into the house at this time, just to be safe)
and re-test them. Many low-level infections will re-test as
negative for the virus. Patience may be the key in this
situation.
To All -- Sorry to throw so much opinion into an
intentionally informational post (and sorry it's so
long!). I would hate to see this as turning into a breeder
vs pet owner debate. Breeders and pet owners should be
working TOGETHER to conquer this (and all other) avian
disease. Without everyone' cooperation, it is really
difficult to track down where any given bird has come into
contact with the virus.
Also, it is particularly important for breeders of small
birds to follow through with any potential complaints from
pet owners who have purchased birds from us. Mass testing
CAN be expensive, and in order to keep up with it all,
there is a lot of money involved. Pet owners do not
understand this when purchasing a baby lovebird, and many
people have told me, too, that my prices are too high. It
is not until someone has had a negative experience like
Dottie's first that they begin to understand more what goes
into raising healthy birds.
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