Something you may to know...

I have read many post recently on this board about I.B.D.
I know the latter sentence just turned alot of you off and this may even be a barometer our indeference to this topic.
I have alot of friends and business dealings with breeders and collectors in Europe
I would like to pass along pertinant info inthe hopes it may open our eyes to what we could potentially be dealing and in fact are dealing with here in the States.
There is currently an undertaking to test most of the collections in Europe for I.B.D. (Yes, there is a blood test avaliable , but I dont know if it is avaliable in the States).  Those that are in authority and have been administering these tests are saying that most of the collections have cases of this fatal virus...in fact almost no one is accepting snakes in their collections without testing being done... the proof is in the  puddingwe only to look to our fellow herpers in Europe to see that we are dealing with a smoking gun here.....
Proper quarentine procedures and husbandry will help to eradicate this virus but I believe education and properly funded research will do more.....And watch out for those dreaded mites....they are deadly culprits....we need to stop the coverup that is going on here and come in concert like our European herpers to deal with this virus....It has to stop being taboo to say the wordand understand it can infect anyones collection. I imagine im in for iton this one but my intentions are honorable ...
with regards, Michael Ball

That's a very scary thought Micheal.

As far as I understand, the blood test is know about
here (listed on Melissa Kaplan's anapsid.org website) but
I've been told it is not really accurate and cannot be
used as a sole way to check.. only thru liver biopsy, necropsy.
If there is a diff. blood test in the UK, please, pass it on...
let Dr. Jacobson in Florida, one of the leading people doing
research here in the US on IBD..
Melissa Kaplan's IBD page, with blood test info

Dr Jacobson's IBD page

Now thats is a scary thought indeed.
I remembner reading of Hermann Stoeckel, a gentmemen from Europe that keeps and breeds only locality specific boas.
He has some of ther finest boas in the world.
I sincerely hope that this virus didnt make its way to his collection.
The implications of what CAN happen here are very scary.
And the lack of understanding of the virus, how it is transmitted, why boas can be asymptomatic carriers, is cause for reflection  and then serious action.

                             Fred Albury
                            (Aztec   Reptiles)