From:
Sukie Crandall
Date: 2003-09-24 22:19:29 UTC
Subject: leptospirosis in ferrets
To: sewallen@hotmail.com, ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-id: <a06002006bb97bee676ee@[10.0.1.12]>
In my 20s I got Leptospirosis (Weil's Disease with one set of
symptoms); it turned out that a chain restaurant in the mall in which
I worked had a rodent (both rats and mice) infestation so eating
their food was a error for which I paid, but not too badly. As you
can see from a references below, rats are among the most common
routes of infection:
>The organism affects at least 160 mammalian species and has been
>recovered from rats, swine, >dogs, cats, raccoons, cattle, and other
>animals. The most important reservoirs are rodents, and rats >are
>the most common source worldwide.
Notice also, that entering or enjoying water sports in some wild
bodies of water can lead to infections, as can wading through floods.
There was even a triathalon from which a number of participants
contracted the disease.
Living in a city (because of the large numbers of rats), being an
animal worker (vet, stable hand for horses, someone working with
swine, cattle, goats or sheep, etc.), and a number of other
occupations increase risk of exposure.
From what I have noticed although a wide range of animals do get
Leptosirosis it is not mentioned in many ferret vet texts and the
ones which do mention it being more common among dogs. I have the
impression that infections in ferrets are rare.
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/leptospirosis_g.htm
http://www.cdc.gov/travel/diseases/lepto.htm
http://www.health.state.ny.us/nysdoh/communicable_diseases/en/lepto.htm
http://www.ianr.unl.edu/pubs/animaldisease/g417.htm
http://www.medstudents.com.br/dip/dip1.htm
http://www.marvistavet.com/html/canineleptospirosis.html
Is it possible that your physician mistakenly thinks that ferrets are
rodents which would make them more likely to have this?
According to two veterinary texts I have here ferrets have on rare
occasion been found to contract to contract Leptospirosis if they
have been used to hunt rats, a finding similar to that seen in
dogs. They might possibly be able to contract it from rodent
contaminants. In most of the New World ferrets are not used for
hunting purposes. Of course, when they have been used for hunting
then it may also be that their owner had direct contact with rodents
or rodent wastes...
I will refer you to the following texts: _Biology and Disease of the
Ferret_ second edition by James Fox of the Dept, of Comparative
Medicine of MIT, pages 342 and 343 where among other pieces of
information it is pointed out that is NOT known if ferrets are able
to transmit this disease, and that the organism may be isolated from
dust, animal feed, water, soil, and an assortment of wild and
domestic animals. There are even known asymptomatic fecal carriers
among humans according to that text. Treatment for infected ferrets
would include broad spectrum antibiotics such as penicillin,
ampicillin, as well as others.
This is a rare enough problem that two of my other ferret veterinary
texts do not even list it, but John Lewington's _Ferret Husbandry,
Medicine and Surgery_ is written more for working ferrets and since
ferrets are used in conjunction with terriers for removing rats in
some parts if the world he discusses the disease on page 117,
mentioning that ferrets do seem to have a natural resistance to it
though they are able to at times contract Leptospirosis. By the way,
he notes that the working dogs also fell prey to the disease.
So, anyway, for what I have read, that route is possible, but that
doesn't mean that it is likely. It reads like other routes are more
likely and pretty commonly easy ways to contract it.
Now, among the things I don't know is if ferrets get it from humans at times...