From:
katharine
Date: 2001-04-10 03:01:00 UTC
Subject: ECE
Mike Janke wrote:
<ECE is definitely highly contagious. A ferret that comes in contact
with another ferret that is an active carrier will come down with ECE
within 48-72 hours of that contact.
I guess the next question is... are you sure the others haven't already
had ECE and that's why they have not presented with symptoms?<
Mike:
I don't think you can say that a ferret WILL come down with ECE when coming
in contact with an active carrier. Maybe some ferrets have a natural
immunity to ECE? Or, is it possible for a ferret to have ECE and never
show symptoms? When Dillon and/or Chester (rescues) brought ECE into my
house
in September, only Cedes and Lany came down with it. Champ never showed
one
single symptom, not even a loose stool (I've had Champ since he was 7 weeks
old so I know he's never had ECE). Champ and Lany live together and I
didn't separate them during this time. Cedes lives with Dillon and
Chester. Cedes first showed symptoms a good 2 weeks after Dillon and
Chester
arrived. At first, I thought it was stress. Cedes had always been an only
ferret
and the symptoms first appeared shortly after I put Cedes, Dillon and
Chester
(Da Boyz) together. Though they were housed separately the first two
weeks, there was contact. Cedes came down with it a week or so before Lany
did.
ECE was diagnosed through process of elimination, bloodwork,
urinalysis, X-rays, and, finally, a consultation with a vet at the Univ. of
Fla. vet school. That is definitely what they had (or as sure as we can
be, given there's no definitive test). Dillon and Chester had been living
together (after being separately picked up off the street) for several
weeks at a wildlife rehab facility prior to them coming to my home. They
showed
no signs of it there. I'm not sure who the carrier was (or both of them?)
but neither of them had any symptoms when it was active in my home. So,
it's possible one of them also has a natural immunity.
Now, I can't say for sure that Dillon and/or Chester were the carriers but
the
timing sure fits. Comments?
Katharine