From:
sukiec@optonline.net
Date: 2003-06-13 19:05:47 UTC
Subject: RE: SARS and ferrets
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <5754370.1055531147385.JavaMail.root@thallium.smartgroups.com>
> Ok, I know this is a ridiculous question, but I was wondering if anyone knows >or thinks that SARS would affect ferrets if their owners were contaminated (I >don't have SARS, but it is a curiosity now that it's a very real
SARS maybe, monkey pox very unlikely.
Second first: monkey pox infects rodents and primates, and actually if you go back over 55 million years we're more closely related to rodents. You'll find info at
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/monkeypox/animalguidance.htm
You will note that that they say that they do not know if non-rodent pet species can get it, but have not encountered cases if I didn't miss something in my skimming -- CHECK THIS BECAUSE I AM ONLY SKIMMING, BEING SHORT ON TIME.
While there you can also find their SARS pages. The animals which had it in decent numbers in the market were Civet Cats which are viverids, but in lesser numbers (I am not sure if only one individual or more) there was a type of mustelid, Ferret Badger, and a type of canid (dog family), Racoon Dog, with either the disease present on testing or antibodies present on testing.
I have NOT read up on SARS since Chiclet got ill and maybe not for a few dyas before that so you will want to read the more recent CDC info that I have not read.
I am not a pathologist nor an epidemiologist.