From:
"Danee DeVore"
Date: 2004-04-02 04:10:05 UTC
Subject: ADV
To: "Ferret Health List" <ferrethealth@smartgroups.com>
cc: "Lisa Oestereich" <lisa@leedg.com>
Message-ID: <406CE79D.1040604@aol.com>
It dawned on me after I had hit send that
I hadn't addressed your main question, Lisa.
I don't know if anyone really knows how long ADV can remain in a
house. ADV is a very hardy virus, and has been shown to remain alive
outside a host for as long as 2 years. But, I don't know if a single
germ can cause infection in an otherwise healthy ferret.
The researchers at the U of GA think it is possible to disinfect a
house, though, and make it safe to start over. I know, I am hoping to
be able to do that some day.
It is important to disinfect as much as possible with a good
parvocide. Remember, though, that parvocides are only guaranteed to be
effective on hard surfaces. Porous surfaces like furniture and carpets
can be a real problem.
One thing that was suggested to me was thorough steam cleaning of
things like carpet and upholstered furniture. The steam does not kill
the virus, but it does loosen soil particles that may have the virus
attached, and allow them to be sucked into the machine. Adding a
parvocide to the solution would probably also be useful, although still
may not be sufficient.
I do know that one member of the ADVList that had her last positive
pass reported that after several months of cleaning and disinfecting,
she collected samples of dust and also took wipes to get samples from
various surfaces in her house, and submitted them to a University for
testing. They all came back negative for traces of ADV. So, there may
be hope.
--
Danee
International Ferret Congress Health Issues Coordinator
http://ferretcongress.org
ADV - If your ferret hasn't been tested, you don't know!
For more information visit: http://www.ferretadv.com