Message Number: YG12052 | New FHL Archives Search
From: daneedv
Date: 2002-03-26 13:32:00 UTC
Subject: Re: Need ADV Testing Method Expert - a better test might be
possible

--- In Ferret-Health-list@y..., "ferretgm" <ferretgm@y...> wrote:

> Yesterday, I was discussing the recent problems with the ADV
testing
> results, and he said that his university specializes in developing
> DNA polymerase (I think) tests for diseases affecting lab animals
> (which are nearly perfect in accuracy and precision). He is quite
> interested in learning (1) what ADV is (what kind of virus, etc)and
> (2) how the current tests work (I said I thought they were antibody
> tests).

I would suggest you visit White Russian's website, and print out
copies of Dr. Stevenson's article, and the notes from Dr. Stephon's
talk last June. In Dr. Stephon's notes, he gives a pretty good
desrciption of how his (Avecon's) tests work. Dr. Stevenson'S
article gives a good descrition of ADV in general. The address for
Russian's page is:
http://www.geocities.com/russiansmom/index.html
Both the CEP and the 2 Avecon tests are antibody tests. One problem
with an antigen test for ADV might be that the virus inself is not
always present in the blood and other bodily fluids. Dr. Stevenson,
at the U of GA does run DNA polymerase tests (PCR tests) on samples
sent to her. Of my 9 ferrets that have ADV (as confirmed by other
tests) only 3 have ever had a positive PCR.
Danee