From:
DaneeDV@aol.com
Date: 2002-09-29 16:27:36 UTC
Subject: Re: ADV Testing
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
CC: katharine@nettally.com
Message-ID: <4f.2452d468.2ac883f8@aol.com>
> I've always read that ADV testing should be done after 12 weeks of age. You
> are saying that weaning time is of importance. Can you point me to the
> references for this? I do try to test but I'm becoming more of a skeptic
> about it since it seems that no matter how we test, or when we test, it's
> not correct or there are problems with the tests.
I can not point to written references, because, unfortunately, what I said
was from private emails and phone conversations with those people.
Three years ago, United claimed their test could be run on kits as early as 8
weeks. They have since raised the age to 4 to 6 months, and at those ages,
there is no problem of wean time.
A year ago this past June, Dr. Stephon said that his tests (the POCT and
ELISA) were valid at any age, providing the kit had been totally weaned at
least 2 weeks before the testing. While this was said in a conversation with
me and a few others, I know that in the past he has told others this as well.
I know of one shelter in NJ that is not ADV positive that had taken in some
sick kits from a pet store. Because of the problems with ADV in pet store
kits in that area, she was concerned, and called him to ask if the test would
be valid. They were about 7 weeks old. He said it would be, since they
would have been weaned for 2 weeks already. I point out that this was over a
year ago, though, and he might have also changed his mind about when the
earliest testing should be done, just as United has done.
The reason I discussed time of earliest testing with Dr. Bloom and Dr.
Ritchie is due to a personal experience. Three years ago I had a ferret from
my business come back to me 5 weeks pregnant. She also had ADV, but I didn't
know that. When the kits were about 6 weeks old, I was told that other
ferrets from the home she had lived in had ADV. I set up an appointment with
my vet to have some tests run, and because of the age of the kits, he called
to see if they were old enough to test. He was told that usually 8 weeks was
the minimum age, but that it would still be worth doing. However, it should
be redone in 2 months, to be safe.
I tested the mother, several of the kits, and several of my other ferrets.
The mother and the kits that were tested were positive, as were several of my
other ferrets that I had tested. I retested all the ferrets in my house 8
weeks later. To my surprise, all of the kits now tested negative. They were
retested several times in the following months, and always had negative
results.
By this time, I was talking with Dr. Ritchie, who is a vet and a virologist,
and is the head of the research group at the U of GA, about their program.
He had requested blood samples from some of my positive ferrets, so they
could take a look at them. I mentioned the testing problem with the kits,
and my surprise that they had gone from positive on the first test to
negative. He asked if they were nursing when the first test was run, and
when I said yes, he replied he was not surprised. He said that with any
antibody test, you need to wait a minimum of 2 weeks after nursing has
terminated, or you can pick up pass through antibodies from the mother's
milk. He said that they may (and I stress the may - this is not a positive,
just a possibility) have even gained immunity to ADV as a result of this. I
then queried Dr. Bloom on this, and he concurred that nursing can affect the
results of the test. So, testing should not be done sooner then the
recommended date, but also, on antibody tests, should be done after the
nursing has been terminated for a minimum of 2 weeks.
Those kits are now 3 years old, and have continued to test negative for ADV,
and they have been tested many, many times. I have even sent samples of
their blood to U of GA on several occasions.
Danee
ADV - If your ferret hasn't been tested, you don't know!
For more information visit http://www.geocities.com/russiansmom