Oh jeez.... Adenovirus...?

[melissa102787]

I'm a little stressed. There is something wrong with my last clutch of eggs. When they first hatched, I had two deaths right from hatching. Then I noticed a couple with neurological problems. Then two more with deformities. Today, a completely healthy baby yesterday... Is acting lethargic and lost its coordination.

There is clearly something wrong. And it seems to be spreading. The ONLY thing I found that seemed like it may be the culprit, is the Adenovirus.

The only part that baffles me, is my adults are healthy and fine. And they have been fine. I have had them for years. They have not been exposed to anything that I know of.... What the do I do???? I'm about to freak out.

Can my adults carry it and been acting absolutely fine? Could it be something else?? How do I go about diagnosing it?? I read that there can be false negatives in the fecal tests... If it is in fact adenovirus... Does that mean ALL of my dragons are probably sick? This is awful.

 

[tonid]

I don't know anything about Adenovirus, but I am sure one of the Moderators on her, Tracie, knows all about it. I believe she goes by the name Drach16. PM her, I am sure she will help out. Good luck.

 

[tonid]

Sorry, its Drache613.

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

Oh no, sorry to hear that. How horrible.
Did the incubator get too hot perhaps? Have you gone through every scenario so far?
What is the average time they are living for after hatching?
How long have you had your breeder adults for?
I have to admit, the symptoms do sound an awful lot like Adeno virus. I have to ask, were the two adults related? Sometimes, inbreeding can cause deaths such as this, but am doubtful it would cause quite that magnitude of deaths in this manner.

The adults can be carriers, yes. Have you bred them before now, or is this the first time you have bred them?
Unfortunately, the adults can be apparently healthy but be carriers but passing it on to the babies. Since the babies lack a strong immune system, a lot of times they simply do not make it.
I can direct you to do the proper testing, etc. There is no longer a fecal Electron Microscopy test done for the reptile Adenovirus. I am involved with a lab in Texas who performs the PCR environmental adenovirus test for reptiles. It is very accurate. If you would like more information, we can discuss it on your thread, or we can discuss it via PM or email.
I will be glad to help you find answers, if that is your desire.

Tracie

 

[melissa102787]

Hi thank you for replying!

The dad(Iggy) I have had for 4, almost 5 years. He was a baby when I got him. Momma of clutch 1( Shirley) I have had for 2 years and she had laid eggs in the past, but I froze them and discarded them. Momma of clutch 2( Sheila) that was her first clutch as far as I know. I have had her for 1 1/2 years and she came from a private breeder, I purchased her from a family that could no longer care for her. So all of my adults are not related and came from different places.


I did have a temp problem in my incubator. There were 3 clutches in there, all different ages. It had gotten up to 90 degrees but only for a day. Still baffled how that even happened... But the first clutch that was born was perfectly fine. The second... is the one with problems. The third, is due to hatch any day.

When the second clutch started hatching, there were problems right away. Two died immediately after hatching, one with only its little head out of the shell. A couple showed signs of neurological issues straight away. One, had backwards wrists and a bit deformed looking.

Now the part that has me scared is one or two babies that were perfectly fine at birth and for the past few weeks, have suddenly started showing odd signs. Neurological problems and lethargy. The second clutch is approx. a month old right now. Now there are quit a few babies that seem perfectly normal and always have in the second clutch. And the parents also appear perfectly fine.

At first, I thought it was the temp or that fact this was her first clutch.... but now I am not so sure at all. Every time I tried googling, Adenovirus popped up. I have also never heard of so many from one clutch having these problems...

I am at a lost on what to do. My husband wants me to relax and keep an eye on them for now before I jump to conclusions.... But I'm honestly really worried. Lets say they do have it and no more get sick... Is that possible?? Is there even a cure yet??

 

[Drache613]

Hello,

That is quite interesting, that you had a slight temp problem in your incubator. It could have caused some developmental problems in the ones that were further along & more developed than the others perhaps.
Another thing that could be a possibility is that your female was low in calcium upon laying the clutches & that the babies are severely hypocalcemic which can cause early death if it is that severe. The first clutch took up all of her calcium stores, so they had plenty of calcium when they were born. The second clutch had nothing to absorb so they hatched very deficient. The third clutch, we will see.
Unfortunately, there is no way to know for sure without getting a necropsy on one or two so you can test the calcium levels. If you haven't already done so, separate the ones that are not doing very well, all in separate bins so you can take notes & observe any other symptoms, etc.
Good that all of the ones you have are non related then so that should not be an issue in the least then. So, have you had any ill health issues with your adults at all in the past?

Now I am curious as to how this third clutch is going to turn out. How many have you lost from your second clutch?
There are no cures for Adeno virus, just treating the symptoms is all you can do. Most likely if 1 of the babies has it, they all have it. The interesting part is that since all dragons have differing immune systems some may fare much better than others.
Let's see how the third clutch comes along before doing testing & I am curious to know how the remaining babies from the second clutch are doing.

Tracie