What exactly is Adenovirus/Adatenovirus?

[Onlymediocre]

Im so very confused on this... I just recently came across this in a few posts on here. And no one rlly has said what it is?? I tried googling it and basically all Ive gathered is they are viruses, and theres no cure. If theres nothing you can do about it, then why test for it? I understand if you intend to breed then obviously you wouldnt want to breed one thats positive where as if could be passed on to the babies. But what are these viruses? and what do they do? And I read that one could cause sudden death? So Im wondering if thats what happened to Dobby? Can anyone elaborate on these viruses? Im very curious. And wondering if I should get my new girls tested. I dont think I could deal with another sudden death Id probably just give up on beardies all together....

 

[Onlymediocre]

ok, its been a week...Does no one else know either?

 

[vampy]

Haha, I was hoping tracie would reply, because she seems to be the expert on it and is doing lots of research on the topic and stuff. But seeing as she hasn't seen this thread, I'll do my best to tell you what I know, though some of it might be wrong/outdated.

Basically it's a virus that can do lots of things to them. Some dragons manage to carry it in their systems with no ill effects, some suffer weakened immune systems making them more susceptible to parasites and opportunistic infections, some just don't gain weight properly and generally fail to thrive, some have liver damage, and in some (from what I've read mostly very young babies) the infection will travel to the spinal cord causing neurological symptoms like stargazing, twitching, seizures, and eventually death. There is no treatment or cure for the virus, symptoms of other infections are managed as they crop up, but I think I read somewhere that dragons with adenovirus are more susceptible to nasty side effects from other meds.

There is much debate about what proportion of dragons are infected but symptomless, and when a dragon is found to have it on necropsy, there is debate about whether it was the virus that killed them or an opportunistic infection allowed to thrive due to the presence of the virus, or whether something else lowered their immune systems allowing them to catch the virus and another infection at the same time.

It is also relatively hard to test for as the dragon may carry the virus but if the virus isn't shedding at the time, a test may come back clear. I think the general thinking now is that if a dragon has 3 negative tests (and hasn't been exposed to other dragons in the meantime), it's a good bet that it isn't carrying the virus.

If you want more correct and up to date info, your best bet is to PM tracie as she is the resident expert on this disease (and most other beardie related things!)

 

[Onlymediocre]

Yea I messaged her earlier this morning and asked her about it. I figured she was my best bet too. Thanks tho, that is a bit more info than Id alrdy been able to gather. Im just rlly paranoid about it, and after losing Dobby, IDK what Id do if something happened to my girls. And I think I want to get them tested for it, so at least maybe I wont be completely blindsided IF something does happen. And know what I need to look for.

 

[Drache613]

Hello!

Thanks everyone for all of your help & support with Adeno. I am glad to see more people becoming aware of it now & not being afraid to ask more questions!
Don't hesitate to ask more questions.
I can for sure say that without a doubt not all dragons have Adeno as the breeders would like for everyone to think. It simply is not true.


Tracie