Marek's disease is a highly contagious infectious disease of viral origin that affects domestic and wild birds. It appears on the OIE list.
Marek's disease is distributed worldwide. It is present in the Caribbean, like in Martinique, but probably in most of the other islands as well.
Domestic and wild birds, hens being the most sensitive
Marek's disease is caused by a herpesvirus, a DNA enveloped virus.
There are several forms of Marek's disease:
Classical form (animals aged 12 to 24 weeks): appearance of motor disorders, claudication, gradual paralysis of the limbs, drooping wings
Death inevitable
Cutaneous form: appearance of small tumorous nodules at the base of the feathers
Acute form (animals aged 6 to 12 weeks): exhaustion, weight loss, anemia, gradual paralysis.
Mortality rate of 30%
Sanitary prophylaxis:
Isolation and elimination of infected subjects, disinfection with formalin
Attenuated live virus vaccine