Vaccine for PBF disease
developed
PHOENIX - University of Georgia scientists are finalizing development
of a new vaccine that could effectively eliminate in companion bird
populations a debilitating and often fatal viral disease called
psittacine beak and feather disease. The virus has decimated some
free-ranging populations of cockatoos and has historically been a
problem for companion-bird lovers from around the globe. The virus is
not contagious to humans or other pets. According to the American Pet
Products Manufacturers Association, more than 16 million birds live as
companions in American households. More than 40 species of free-ranging
and companion birds, most notably lovebirds, cockatoos, eclectus
parrots and African gray parrots, are readily susceptible to infection.
The virus also can infect and cause disease in other psittacine birds
such as budgerigars (budgies), Indian ringneck parakeets, lories,
lorikeets and occasionally macaws and Amazon parrots. The disease,
which is transmissible from bird to bird and is not treatable, attacks
a bird’s ability to properly grow feathers, beaks and claws. Feathers
deteriorate and fall off and beaks and claws can break and crumble away
or grow soft, making the bird susceptible to life-threatening secondary
infections. The disease can be most fatal to young birds while more
mature birds that have been exposed to the virus can build up
immunities and be protected through their lifetime. After classifying
the cause of this disease as a new family of viruses (the circoviruses)
in the late 1980s, scientists from The University of Georgia College of
Veterinary Medicine developed a state-of-the-art diagnostic test and
then turned their attention to developing a vaccine to prevent healthy
birds from becoming infected in the first place. “PetSmart provided
much needed financial support and other resources to expedite and
finalize the production of the vaccine candidate,” said Branson
Ritchie, a doctor of veterinary medicine, Ph.D., and distinguished
research professor. The company donated $300,000 in an undesignated
gift to the College of Veterinary Medicine to be used for research.
“It’s one of the most prevalent and debilitating diseases to attack
companion and free-ranging birds,” said Dr. Nick Saint-Erne, PetSmart’s
quality assurance veterinarian. “Because it affects such a broad
spectrum of species, a vaccine will have a positive, far-reaching
effect on the health and quality of life of birds everywhere,” he said.
Researchers have long sought to unlock the keys to a vaccine, made
difficult because the virus “was so difficult to kill,” Ritchie said.
Initially, researchers derived a vaccine by purifying the virus from
the tissues of infected birds. While the methodology worked and
experiments using this vaccine proved that vaccinated birds could
develop protective immunity, the tissue-derived vaccine was far too
dangerous and impractical for widespread use, he said. The breakthrough
came when Ritchie’s team was able to express portions of the viral
proteins - a necessary building block for the vaccine - in a
repeatable, easily qualified laboratory system. With laboratory work
now successfully completed, the University of Georgia Research
Foundation has begun the licensing and registration process for the
vaccine. That process could be completed by the middle of 2008, and
includes manufacturing a vaccine and testing it on birds that are
hatched in captivity and destined for sale. “We’ll be very happy when
it’s in a bottle and on a shelf,” Ritchie said, referring to successful
registration and commercial availability of the vaccine to bird
breeders, medical care providers, pet stores and bird owners. “The
vaccine will not only greatly improve the ability of companion birds to
live long and healthy lives, it might also have applications in the
field to help protect endangered species of susceptible birds,” he
said. (Parrot News May 3, 2007)
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