KHV a thing of the past and not to worry?

[aquitori]

Haven't heard much of KHV especially in these past winter months...I remember they cancelled some major shows in Japan because of this issue...Have they found a cure besides heating your pond to a certain temp or the spread of the virus has slowed down?

[JasonS]

No cure. Temps are just too cold for KHV to break right now.

Wait until July before declaring the year 'KHV free'.

[aquitori]

Hey jason I thought it was cold water that made the virus spread? or is there a certain temp range?

[JasonS]

"KHV seems to cause disease in koi in the spring and fall when the temperature is between 70º-80ºF, which is a slightly higher temperature than SVC." -- http://www.akca.org/kht/virusalert.htm

[MikeM]

It cannot be emphasized enough: NO CURE. Once infected, always infected. Heat may allow survival so the koi becomes a carrier, but that is all it does. There is very misleading old info on heat treatment on the 'net.

[dick benbow]

To add to what mike has said, heating to the higher temps prompts the outbreak. if it's there you'll find it. if not it doesn't break out....if it doesn't everything has to go down including survivors and everything has to be totally disinfected.

In today's situation you can't be a chicken little with a sky is falling complex nor an ostridge type with your head in the sand. You can be informed and have a dealer you trust to q tank your purchases or do it yourself. But please do be careful. I

[marco]

The KHV is a herpes virus and the particularity of that virus familly is that once the level of the antibody is hight, the virus move and goes inside the lymphatics nodes ,the fish cannot contamine the others and he is not hill.
As soon as the level of the antibody decrease, often after a stress (shipping, difference of temperature, changement of food, breeding period ......) , the virus come out of the lymphatics nodes and the fish begin to be contagious again for the others, even if he doesn't show any sytmptom of the KHV.
In conclusion, less stress, less KHV expressions, but the virus is still hiden somewhere and ready to come back.
The only solution wood be to find a vaccination, but it is not easy and some time impossible to realise it.

[RayJordan]

I wish it was true that KHV is less threat to our hobby. KHV has no known cure. It is spreading around the world and will likely become a much worse problem before new technology can be developed to help protect our koi collections. QUarantine all new and returning koi to your collections for at least 3 weeks at 70-80F to allow any koi exposed to KHV to break in your Q-tank not in your pond.

KHV causes death in a fairly narrow temperture range approximately 70-80F. Un fortunately this is also about the koi's optimal temperture range. But it seems to survive and hide in much colder and even warmer water. We know way too little about KHV but one thing learned the hard way is you can never consider KHV survivors safe. These KHV survivors are very dangerous koi. Sadly after making heroic attempts to save a few koi out of a collection it is discovered that when new koi are added to the same pond with these KHV survivors and the temperture hits the right range the new koi become sick and die with KHV. Also you can buy koi that look perfectly healthy in cooler tempertures but if they have been exposed to KHV at some point they will get sick and die form KHV when the temperture hits the right range.

Brain, can you confirm a recent KHV outbreak at a koi dealer in the Tokyo area. With all the movement and mixing of koi due to the earthquakes in the Niigata area I am worried about new outbreaks in Japan especially this spring when water hits 70F.

Anyone wishing to hlep with KHV research please send a check payable to AKCA-PROJECT KHV to:
AKCA - PROJECT KHV, 15514 Elm Park, San ANtonio, TX 78247 attn: Ray Jordan. 100% of donations will go to fund KHV research. You can find much more about this project at our website. Go to www.akca.org and click on the Project KHV link.

THank You for your support of our efforts.

Ray Jordan

[aquitori]

Thanks Ray...So we still have to take every precaution we can take to stop the spread.

[MikeM]

Whoaaaaa .... A KHV outbreak at a dealer in Japan? That is a very serious rumor. I would not accept it as valid until confirmed by reliable sources and medically verified. We had the food carp outbreak last year, but I am not aware of any in the koi industry being affected. ... I did find it bothersome we I saw pics of koi being saved by being dumped in waters where food carp may have been kept.

Brian: I hope you can report that the rumor cannot be verified.