New Vaccine Taking Wing to Rid Beak and Feather Disease in Companion Birds

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. About PetSmart PetSmart, Inc. (NASDAQ: PETM) is the largest specialty pet retailer of services and solutions for the lifetime needs of pets. The company operates more than 908 pet stores in the United States and Canada, a growing number of in-store PetsHotel cat and dog boarding facilities, and is a leading online provider of pet supplies and pet care information (www.petsmart.com). PetSmart provides a broad range of competitively priced pet food and pet products; and offers complete pet training, pet grooming, pet boarding, doggie day camp and pet adoption services.