From:
ferretsonly@hotmail.com
Date: 2001-07-01 12:40:00 UTC
Subject: Re: ADV test and Q for the vets
Christopher wrote:
> You swab the qtip in the ferrets mouth, swirl the swab in
> the saline for about 1 minute, cap the tube and label it.
The time is *IMPORTANT*!
When we tested my kids and the known ADV+ foster kids, we followed
instructions in a post that said to swab for about 20 seconds. One
foster came back negative and the other came back as weak positive
(meaning she had been exposed at some point to an ADV+ ferret).
Since we knew their true status from the CEP blood test, we consulted
with Dr. Stephon. We retested swabbing the mouth for one full
minute. The two kids came back correct as ADV+.
I would love it if a vet would comment on this: There is no way to
develop a test that is always 100% accurate. The test would either
be skewed to be too sensitive (resulting in false positives) or too
weak (resulting in false negatives). Where does the ELISA test
fall? I, personally, would rather see a test that resulted in false
positives which could then be confirmed with the CEP test. False
negatives would give the ferret community a false sense of security.
Thanks for any insight.
-Carla