Managing ILT: Traditional CEO vaccines still provide 'best protection'

Infectious laryngotracheitis (ILT) may be a cyclical disease sensitive to heat, but it survives well in cold weather and “we never have a year without it,” warns John Glisson, DVM, professor emeritus at the University of Georgia and well-known respiratory disease specialist. “Once you have it in a flock, those birds can shed that virus for the rest of their lives, even though they’re healthy.”

One other challenge: Infected birds shed the ILT virus for 2 to 3 days before they become sick. “It’s silent — you don’t see it,” he says.

While vectored vaccines offer a wide margin of safety, they don’t prevent virus from shedding and spreading, Glisson cautions. “The old-time…chicken embryo-origin vaccines provide the best protection,” he adds, as long as they’re managed properly.