From:
sukiec@optonline.net
Date: 2005-06-20 17:04:16 UTC
Subject: Re: [ferrethealth] H. pylori in ferrets? Possibly OT
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <1356832.1119287056549.JavaMail.root@thallium.smartgroups.com>
Author wrote:
> You're remembering wrong. It's canine distemper that's the problem, though I seem to recall reading something new somewhere that ferrets may also have some susceptibility to feline distemper. But don't quote me on the feline distemper comment.
> mike
Mike and I tracked down the origin of that comment which got carried to the Petsmart site. It was from a vet who charges people $10 each to ask him questions on the internet, who began his answer by saying that he disagrees with researchers, and who in his comment said that there were "credible reports" of cases but then he cited no such reports or sources. That combo itself -- decrying the people who have studied the topic the most and then also claiming "credible reports" without providing any of them is worrisome to someone like me.
Dr. Bruce Williams, who is highly respected worldwide among his peers as a ferret veterinary pathologist sent this for the list:
START QUOTE
I have attached an abstract of the work that was done at Washington
State in ferrets with feline parvovirus. Note that clinical disease was
not seen in animals infected with feline parvovirus.
>Am J Vet Res. 1987 Oct;48(10):1429-35. Related Articles, Links
>Comparisons of feline panleukopenia virus, canine parvovirus, raccoon
>parvovirus, and mink enteritis virus and their pathogenicity for mink
>and ferrets.
>Parrish CR, Leathers CW, Pearson R, Gorham JR.
>James A. Baker Institute for Animal Health, New York State College of
>Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca 14853.
>Parvoviruses from mink (mink enteritis virus [MEV]), cats (feline
>panleukopenia virus [FPV]), raccoons (raccoon parvovirus [RPV]), and
>dogs (canine parvovirus [CPV]) were compared. Restriction enzyme
>analysis of the viral replicative-form DNA revealed no consistent
>differences between FPV and RPV isolates, but CPV and MEV isolates could
>be distinguished readily from other virus types. Feline panleukopenia
>virus, RPV, and MEV, but not CPV, replicated to high titers in mink.
>However, on the first passage, disease and microscopic lesions were
>observed only in mink inoculated with MEV. Feline panleukopenia virus
>and RPV isolates replicated in ferrets, but disease or microscopic
>lesions were not observed. Feline panleukopenia virus and RPV isolates
>could be passaged repeatedly in mink and ferrets. Virulence of FPV and
>RPV isolates was low compared with that of MEV, and only a single mink
>inoculated with FPV or with RPV developed clinical disease on the sixth
>passage of virus.
I am not aware of any reports of ferrets with confirmed feline
panleukopenia. Although there are occasionally lesions that resemble
parvoviral disease, I have never been able to get any parvoviruses out
(either canine or feline), so I am hesitant to endorse PetSmart's site.
Furthermore, the position that the "vaccine won't hurt them", in light
of the number of reactions to vaccines in the ferrets, as well as recent
reports of vaccine related sarcomas in ferrets makes me very nervous
about administering any additional vaccine to ferrets.
Sukie - you can post this if you want.
Bruce
END QUOTE