From:
"Church, Robert Ray (UMC-Student)"
Date: 2002-07-12 19:00:25 UTC
Subject: Bob C: Vitamin A and CD-4
To: <ferrethealth@smartgroups.com>
Cc: "Church, Robert Ray (UMC-Student)" <rrc961@mizzou.edu>
Message-ID: <43C5FBB91EB9CC468627C2BCB23391D32B9CA1@TIG-MAIL2.tig.mizzou.edu>
4. Just because Vitamin A works to reduce morbidity and mortality in humans=
, it doesn=92t mean the vitamin would work to help ferrets with canine dist=
emper.
Vitamin A doesn=92t directly prevent children from contracting measles; all=
it does is reduce the morbidity and mortality of sufferers. There is no r=
eason to expect Vitamin A would act any different in ferrets. The exact me=
chanism for improving morbidity and mortality in measles sufferers with hig=
her blood levels of Vitamin A is unknown. Current opinion is that Vitamin =
A boosts the immune system while at the same time protecting epithelial tis=
sues, lessening the severity of the disease, hence the reduction of morbidi=
ty and mortality. I suggest the reader peruse the references in the biblio=
graphy for more detailed information beyond the scope of this discussion.
None of this means a similar effect will be found in ferrets. Still, canin=
e distemper in ferrets is so closely related to measles in humans in pathol=
ogical and clinical aspects that ferrets with distemper are used to model m=
easles in humans. If canine distemper is such a well fitting homolog to me=
asles that infected ferrets can be used to model infected humans, then the =
reverse should also hold true; treatments that help reduce the severity of =
the disease in humans should also help ferrets. =
Another bit of evidence suggesting the use of Vitamin A in children with me=
asles could be used as a model in the treatment of distemper is the recent =
research on carotene metabolism in ferrets. Apparently, ferret metabolism =
of various carotenes is very similar to that of humans; so similar that it =
has been suggested that ferrets should be used to model carotene uptake in =
humans. By itself, this may only be of mild interest, but taken in concert=
with shared functions of Vitamin A, and shared expressions of our respecti=
ve Mornilliviruses, suggest other aspects would be similar as well. These =
similarities could include a Vitamin A mediated reduction of morbidity and =
mortality for various diseases, PERHAPS including canine distemper.
Can it? Maybe--who knows? Still, considering the bleak prognosis of ferre=
ts with canine distemper, ANY reduction of morbidity or mortality would be =
significant. If we investigate the possibility and discover it does nothin=
g, we have lost little. But, if we discover Vitamin A can help, even a lit=
tle bit, then we have discovered something valuable.
Bob