Message Number: SG15764 | New FHL Archives Search
From: Linda Iroff
Date: 2005-10-20 15:46:44 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] ADV from NZ ferrets
To: Ferret Health List <ferrethealth@smartgroups.com>

MC writes
> New
> Zealand's Ministry of Agriculture and Forestries (MAF) states in their
> literature that ADV has never presented itself in New Zealand.
and
> I do not believe
> that any of the New Zealand ferrets really had ADV

ADV apparently *IS* present in New Zealand, and they likely brought
the disease to The Netherlands. I recently received this from a well
known ferret vet in The Netherlands:
> In the early months of 2004 several ferrets from New Zealand were
> imported in Holland. (probably 50-100 ferrets). These ferrets were
> born and raised at the ferretfarm: "Southland Ferrets "
> Invercargill, New Zealand. Months later ferrets were also imported
> from the ferretfarm "Mystic Ferrets". Although these ferrets were
> beautiful they appeared to be not healthy and several of them died
> too early. Post mortems in Holland did not reveal any cause.
>
> March 2005, again a one year old ferret from New Zealand died too
> early with symptoms of coughing, lethargy, diarrhea and hindlimb
> weakness. Post mortem a chronic lymfoplasmacytic inflammation was
> seen in numerous organs, most prominently in the kidney, liver,
> spleen, lymph nodes and lung. I finally send in tissue to the
> University of Georgia (thanks to the contact with Kate Pennick
> which I met at the Atlanta symposium !!!)). They diagnosed Aleutian
> Disease as the cause of these lesions with the DNA in situ
> hybridization test.
>
> From May 2005 we did a lot of CIEP tests on ferrets. 772 ferrets
> were already tested and 46 had a positive CIEP test. Unfortunately
> a Dutch ferretbreeder/shelter gave shelter to 3 New Zealand ferrets
> in the early months of 2004 till they euthanized them last summer
> because of a positive CIEP test. 33 ferrets from the 46 ferrets
> tested positive with the CIEP test were housed at this place.
>
> Aleutian Disease in Holland does not spread very fast but we have
> to be very alert. At this moment several Dutch ferrets were
> infected but mostly because of direct intensive contact or indirect
> via contaminated cages. Mortality in New Zealand ferrets seemed to
> be much higher than in Dutch ferrets.

The DNA test done at University of Georgia is definitive.

By the way, I know of other ferrets that came from the same source as
MC's that also tested positive.

Linda Iroff
International Ferret Congress
http://www.ferretcongress.org





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