A2HancMter Farming, Saturday, October 19, 1996
ANDY ANDREWS
Lancaster Farming Staff
MANHEIM (Lancaster Co.)
Deadly Marck’s Disease can infect
any type of poultry operation at
any time. As a result, managers
should implement careful preven
tion strategies to ensure Marek’s
doesn’t turn into a long-term dis
ease problem in the house, accord
ing to a noted veterinarian.
Research is still incomplete on
exactly why Marek’s continues to
plague poultry flocks throughout
the country, according to a leading
veterinarian who has studied the
disease in commercial flocks.
Dr. Bemie Beckman, DVM
with Hy-Line Intranational. Dallas
Centra, lowa, spoke to more than
30 poultry producers and agri
industry representatives on Mon
day at the Poultry Health and Man
agement Seminar at Kreider’s
Restaurant.
Marek’s can affect single-age
houses of any size or multi- age
growout sites. “I’ve seen it come
up in any one of those situations.”
said Beckman. “No situation is
immune to Marek’s.”
The disease affects layers and
broilers. One of the reasons it has
become prevalent is the continu
ous trend to put “poultry together
intensively,” said the veterinarian.
What is so surprising is that the
disease is not confined to younger
birds, but can also spread between
older, even adult birds.
Clinical signs of the disease
include emaciated birds and high
mortality. The disease can show up
as inflammation of the iris of the
eye, but mostly as tumors in the
bird, especially in the liver as
nodules and in the nerves.
Marek’s is a viral disease,
caused by a cell-associated herpes
virus. The disease shows up as a
viral tumor disease of chickens
only but can show up as tumors
and or nerve dysfunction at any
age.
One of the things that puzzles
scientists, as Beckman showed
using two cushioned footballs to
illustrate, is that somehow, as large
as the RNA of the cell structure of
Marek’s is, it can fit into the small
er, normal RNA present in healthy
tissue.
The virus is spread from the
birds’ dander. Any chicken from
1-2 weeks old can become
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Marek’s Can Affect Any Poultry Operation
infected, shed the virus, and infect
other chickens. It is spread to other
chickens or into the environment.
For layers, the disease is spread
most probably by “airborne expo
sure, and birds are most suscepti
ble the first week of life.” said
Beckman. What makes control
strategies difficult is that most vac
cines take one week to become
effective which emphasizes the
importance of keeping poultry
houses Marek’s-free.
In many cases, some farms can
be free of Marek’s no matter what
the disease control strategies.
Beckman said he knows of farms
that have employed the latest and
most intense cleaning and disin
fection (C&D) procedures and still
come up house positive in tests for
the virus.
“One type of virus could affect
only some people, and some peo
ple see the problem and others
don’t,” he said.
Scientists still“don’tknow what
turns the virus on and off,” and
what causes outbreaks in flocks,
according to Beckman. But several
factors are identified: levels of
stress in the birds and the levels of
immunosuppression in the flock.
hi many cases, early field expo
sure could provide natural levels of
flock immunity, but the word is
still incomplete and more studies
are necessary.
While scientists continue to
work on developing genetic resis
tance to Marek’s, some of the
strategies poultry house managers
can use include the use of all-in,
all-out in combination with strict
biosecurity and use of vaccine in
the flocks.
Beckman recommended that
managers read the bode, “Biose
curity In The Poultry Industry,”
written by the American Associa
tion of Avian Pathologists, avail
able from the University of Pen
nsylvania New Bolton Center. (To
order a copy for $l5, ask for Kim at
New Bolton, 610-444-4282.)
The virus continues to evolve
and that is one of the areas Beck
man continues to study. “It’s
always changing it’s hard for
me even to keep up with it,” said
Beckman. The continuing pre
sence of Marek’s in the broiler
industry is of concern, indicating
the virus is changing, becoming
very virulent. Those types of very
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Deadly Marek’s Disease can Infect any type of poultry operation at any time. Dr. Ber
nle Beckman, DVM with Hy-Llne International, Dallas Center, lowa, center, spoke to
more than 30 poultry producers and agri-industry representatives on Monday at the
Poultry Health and Management Seminar at KrekJer’s Restaurant. At left is Mark
Lovette, live production manager, Tyson and at right Is Guy Martin, producer service
manager, Sauder*s.
virulent strains are making their
presence known in broiler houses
in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York,
Nebraska, and in the Southeast
What surprises veterinarians
such as Beckman is that normal
preventive strategies sometimes
aren’t enough. “Marek’s is not pre
vented by normal C&D, all-in, all-
Penn
UNIVERSITY PARK (Centre
Co.) The Penn State University
College of Agricultural Sciences’
Department of Dairy and Animal
Science has announced an open
house for prospective students to
be held Saturday, Oct 26, at its
University Park building.
According to a news release,
registration and refreshments are
set to start at 9:30 a.m., with the
program starting at 10 a.m.
The open house is designed to
provide information most often
out and bivalent vaccine,” he said.
Mortality levels if left untreated
even to bird adulthood can rise to
40 percent.
Houses aren’t well protected
against Marek’s with the widely
used HVT/SB-1 vaccine. Mana
gers can find better protection
from Marek’s with the European
State Dairy, Animal Science
To Hold Open House
requested by college-bound stu
dent applying for admission into
undergraduate programs offered in
Penn States Department of Dairy
and Animal Science.
All interested high school stu
dents and their families are invited
to attend.
The day’s activities will include
sessions on the dairy and animal
science major, undergraduate
experiences at Penn State, the
admissions process, housing,
financial aid, career guidance.
Rispcn vaccine. The trivalent vac
cine program is the most protec
tive, Beckman indicated.
Researchers continue to build a
better bird, more resistant to
Marek’s. In the fnbtre, said Beck
man, “we can make birds fully
resistant to Marek’s, but it’s going
to take time.”
clubs and judging teams.
The days activities are expected
to end about 3 p.m.
Those wishing to attend should
call LuAnn Weatherholtz at (814}
863-3664, by Oct. 22, to make
reservations for lunch.
For more information on the
open house event, or programs
offered in the Department of Dairy
ami Animal Science, call Keith
Bryan at (814) 863-0569, or Dale
Olver at (814) 863-3914.