From:
ferrethealer@aol.com
Date: 2002-01-13 12:37:00 UTC
Subject: Re: [Ferret-Health-list] Digest Number 554
In a message dated 01/13/02 8:05:36 AM Eastern Standard Time,
Ferret-Health-list@yahoogroups.com writes:
Are ferrets just as likely to pass this on as cats? If so, by
what
means is it passed from animal to human? We recently had a
pregnant
friend stay with us (and our single ferret) and she says she has
tested positive. She owns a dog.
Not really. Ferrets aren't intermediate hosts of the parasite, like
cats are. Cats are a much more likely source, but an even more
likely one would be underdone meat. It is passed from a live animal
through fecal material, but can also be gotten through infected
meat. Testing positive is not necessarily a bad thing for the baby,
as people can be exposed at any time in their life. The danger
comes when a pregnant woman is exposed for the first time early in
their pregnancy. My own sister tested positive during her pregnancy
- I've not been tested, but I suspect I am positive. Many people
are.
Dr. Ruth
*****************************************
Save lives - spay or neuter your pet.