Jen, I am not sure what articles you have read, but I have read everything out there I can get my hands on and talked to several vets and there is a lot of misguided research out there.
http://www.internationalparrotletsociety.org/pbfd.html
Age Related Infection and Disease
The age of a bird at the time of infection and more specifically, the competence of it's immune system, appear to affect the outcome of APV infection. (17,19) While some young birds exhibit mortality characteristically associated with APV infection, others appear to recover, while still others show no clinical illness. It has also been suggested that resistance to APV disease results from a modified host response to virus infection and not by an increased resistance to infection. (17) Young Blue and Gold macaws (Ara ararauna), experimentally infected with APV, developed high virus neutralization antibody titers indicating infection, but failed to show clinical disease.(1) Viral induced cytopathic changes, were observed in experimentally infected Budgerigar nestlings, although the birds never showed signs of APV disease.(3) No birds over two months of age, which tested positive in the RAL aviary study, showed evidence of clinical disease. Additionally, most positive testing birds, including new aviary additions, became consistently blood negative in a short time. These observations suggest that most immune competent psittacine birds, when infected with APV, mount an effective response, sufficient to prevent disease and eliminate the virus.
Polyomavirus Disease in Adult Birds
While it has been reported that polyomaviral disease can occur in adult psittacines, the incidence of this is extremely rare. Contrary to what the avicultural community has been led to believe, almost all infections in adult birds are asymptomatic. (11,27) Combined infections of APV and PBFD have been shown to occur. (11,13,23) It appears that APV disease in adult birds requires immunosuppresion, such as that from PBFD infection, for clinical APV disease to occur. (11,16) We recently tested DNA samples from three adult Ecelectus parrots and two cockatoos which died from confirmed APV disease. All these birds also tested positive for concurrent PBFD infection. APV disease in finches has also been suggested to result from immune suppresion. (28) Of all 143 birds tested in the aviary study, no adult birds were observed to exhibit clinical APV disease. It has also been suggested that adult birds recently infected with APV, serve as an amplification source for virus infection within the aviary. However, none of the adult study birds which tested blood positive, were shown to be actively shedding APV virus on cloacal swab testing.
there is a possible vax for polyoma and most breeders and bird sellers do not vax for it.
The vaccination is generally used in baby birds because they are the ones who almost exclusively die from this disease. You give the first shot at 40 days and the booster 10 days later. When buying a baby bird from a breeder, it's good to ask if they vaccinate for Polyoma or not.
You can also follow up the vaccination of baby birds every two years with a booster to keep the immunity up but, since adult birds rarely die from this disease, it's generally not worth the effort.
A vet can not force a person to make their bird stay either.
Probably not but in cases of Psittacosis (Chlamydia), vets are required by law to contact the CDC in their area because it is a highly contageous disease.
I am very willing to hear others concerns and hope that people will bring to attention something that hasn't been thought of, but I am not here to be railed on. My biggest concern right now is that he got a false negative on a test.
Wow, didn't realize anybody was giving you a hard time...sorry if you feel offended. I'm giving you information that I believe you asked for.
