KHV running rampant in USA

[Nancy M.]

We all heard the rumbles of KHV in Florida in March.

Now I am hearing rumbles of KHV in California, I have heard Norcal has had hobbyist and dealers test positive for KHV.

I also have been hearing that hobbyist and dealers are testing positive in Socal.

How many hobbyist will be adding to their collection this year?

Will you still "trust" your favorite dealer?

Will you insist on any fish you plan on buying be tested? and would you insist on being present when the fish was tested, just to make sure it is actually your fish being tested, and not batch testing?

How do we know which dealers are testing positive, when they keep everything hush hush... even the hobbyist that are testing positive do not disclose which dealer they have bought from.

I do want to add that if the hobbyist bought from more than one dealer and did not follow good Qt protocols, then they should NOT try to pin their stupidity on any dealer.

Why are hobbyist so afraid to expose who they get KHV from? Is it fear of being black balled? or fear of a law suit? or is it that they just don't want to hurt someone's lively hood, even though it could have the potential of infecting so many other hobbyist?

How many dealers actually test their fish? and not just say they test?

How can we make KHV more transparent without fear of retaliation from other hobbyist and dealers?

[JasPR]

Nancy, I think--- wait, I KNOW, that KHV is a disease. And a disease should have no politics or witch hunting associated with it. The old expression, " But for the grace of God, there go I" fits nicely here.

So when you take the politics and witch hunting out of the equation you are left with one truth---- we are all in this together. The unfortunate truth is it will take several more years to get a handle on this stuff.
But on a day to day basis, you can not trust ANYONE'S stock any more. They might not even know they have it. And in ugly cases, the might go to the internet to dump fish onto strangers or one of the many newbies on the rogue boards. This is just a fact of life.

So in these troubled times, buy fish carefully and ALWAYS quarantine them. When going to a local dealer ( and that is ALWAYS a wise thing to do) ask him or her how they isolate test and treat their koi. Believe them, trust them and then quarantine on your own! You can not be too safe, just too risky.
JR

[Seanzky]

Scary stuff.

Is there a theory why KHV might be all over?

[luke frisbee]

KHV does not exist...I do not even have it.
let me explain...KHV is a "Reportable Disease" . Vets and testing facilities are required by law to report "positives" to the Deparment of Agriculture...Not any of the Particulars like "who," Just that they had a positive test.
10-12 days ago i called the telephone number listed for my region to inquire how many positive tests had been reported in Florida in the past year.
After being passed from person to person i was told by Paul, that he would get me the answer and call me back...
He did. And he reported to me that he had talked to the Vet in charge of such matters, and she told him there had been "one or two" cases of KHV in Florida this year. Well I am guessing she gets her "stats" from Koi Bito...or it wasn't my TWO positive tests that were reported, and as such i feel as though the Testing Facility must have realized they made a mistake and I don't have KHV....Especially as no other person in the entire state has tested positive.
Of course I laughed right at the guy and told him he and his source were pathetic and I was saddened that status quo for the Department of Agriculture was lower than I could have even imagined.

Please Note: His "Source" was supposedly "THE SOURCE" for gathering such information and she said "one or two cases"...she couldn't even be sure which it was...ONE? or TWO?

[JasPR]

Right, absolutely right. But with reportablity comes the end of the koi hobby as we currently know it.
Indeed that level of government involvement will result in back yard breeding as the only hope of staying in what we call the koi hobby.

- JR

[CarolinaGirl]

Since when is KHV a reportable disease?? SVC is.....but KHV? I don't think so. No one really gives a crap about KHV infections because it does not affect game fish or food fish, only carp which most people consider to be nuisance fish anyway. SVC does affect other species, which is why it is reportable.

[JasPR]

That's very true, Carolina. Not yet and hopefully never. The old joke, "I'm from the government and I'm here to help you" has never been more frightening than when you are a koi keeper! They could snuff out koi importation for two years plus in a heart beat. That is what I was referring to. JR

[kntry]

Right, Cindy. As far as I know, SVC is the only reportable disease.

Nancy, to answer some of your questions. I would QT my fish no matter where it came from. I expect the dealers I purchase from to test and I trust the dealers I purchaser from, otherwise, I wouldn't buy from them in the first place. Trust doesn't mean that I'm not going to take the extra precautions and QT. We know so little about KHV, we don't even know if the testing is 100%.

IF I could find someone to prepare the blood sample for me, I would test any new fish coming in. I would still do my usual QT even with testing.

[luke frisbee]

Quote: Originally Posted by CarolinaGirl Since when is KHV a reportable disease?? SVC is.....but KHV? I don't think so. No one really gives a crap about KHV infections because it does not affect game fish or food fish, only carp which most people consider to be nuisance fish anyway. SVC does affect other species, which is why it is reportable.

CG
VM-149/VM113: Koi Herpesvirus (KHV) Disease

"
What Are the Regulatory Considerations Associated With KHV?

As of January 2007, KHV was added to the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) notifiable disease list for fish. Because of this listing the United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) asks that accredited veterinarians and diagnostic laboratories report positive cases of KHV to the area veterinarian-in-charge (AVIC) of the state where the fish originated. However, no client information (e.g., name, address) will be requested. This information will help USDA determine what the prevalence of KHV is in the United States. USDA APHIS has no health requirements specific for KHV for koi or other fish moving interstate or internationally. There is no mandatory depopulation for populations of koi infected with KHV. It is up to the owner of those animals to decide what course to take."

[PapaBear]

Quote: Originally Posted by luke frisbee CG VM-149/VM113: Koi Herpesvirus (KHV) Disease " What Are the Regulatory Considerations Associated With KHV? As of January 2007, KHV was added to the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) notifiable disease list for fish. Because of this listing the United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) asks that accredited veterinarians and diagnostic laboratories report positive cases of KHV to the area veterinarian-in-charge (AVIC) of the state where the fish originated. However, no client information (e.g., name, address) will be requested. This information will help USDA determine what the prevalence of KHV is in the United States. USDA APHIS has no health requirements specific for KHV for koi or other fish moving interstate or internationally. There is no mandatory depopulation for populations of koi infected with KHV. It is up to the owner of those animals to decide what course to take."

What constitutes the legal definition of "the state where the fish originated?
Is Florida the State into which these fish were originally imported?
Where they domestically bred?
Does the fact that they came from your pond identify the original source of the disease?
It is pretty lame that you couldn't get an intelligent answer to the question you asked, but the worthless information provided is still incapable of identifying the point of origin, only the point of the outbreak.