From:
Sukie Crandall
Date: 2006-03-26 20:47:12 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Galaxy
To: FHL <ferrethealth@smartgroups.com>
I thought that this past post from Dr. Jerry Murray would be of
interest here:
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/browse.php?msg=YG12862
> Hi Tansy,
> I will try to clear some of your confusion.
> Fromm-D was actually a chicken embryo cell culture vaccine.
> (This is very similar to the Fervac-D vaccine.)
> The newer version Galaxy-D is a simian (monkey) cell culture
> vaccine. No virus involved in either of these 2 vaccines.
> The new Merial Purevax-D is a recombinant vaccine
> using a canary pox virus as a carrier. They also use this
> canary pox vector in their dog vaccines. No vaccine connection
> to lymphoma, but there may be a ferret retro virus involved in
> lymphoma.
> Hope that helps,
> Jerry Murray, DVM
>
Notice that this means that Galaxy is not really the same as Fromm-D
(though highly similar), which -- if memory serves -- had been tested
for ferrets.
There also was a VERY LIMITED test of Galaxy in ferrets:
> Am J Vet Res.
> 2001 May;62(5):736-40) called "Serologic evaluation, efficacy, and
> safety of a commerical modified-live canine distemper vaccine in
> domestic
> ferrets." by Wimsatt J, Jay MT, Innes KE, Jessen M, Collins JK.
> Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and
> Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins 80523,
> USA.
>
> OBJECTIVE: To determine efficacy and safety of a commercial
> modified-live
> canine distemper virus (CDV) vaccine used for prophylaxis in domestic
> ferrets.
>
> ANIMALS: Sixteen 16-week-old neutered male ferrets.
>
> PROCEDURES: Equal groups of ferrets were inoculated subcutaneously
> at 16
> and 20 weeks of age with saline (0.9% NaCl) solution or a vaccine
> derived
> from the Onderstepoort CDV strain and attenuated in a primate cell
> line.
> Live virulent CDV was administered to all ferrets intranasally and
> orally
> 3 weeks after the second inoculation. Clinical signs and body weights
> were monitored regularly during the study. Blood samples for
> serologic
> examination were drawn prior to each inoculation, before challenge
> exposure, and 10, 15, and 21 days after exposure. Blood samples for
> reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were obtained
> 5 days after the first vaccination, and 5, 10, 15, and 21 days after
> challenge exposure.
>
> RESULTS: After challenge exposure, control ferrets had significantly
> more clinical signs and weight loss, compared with vaccinates. All
> vaccinated ferrets survived, whereas all control ferrets died. The
> RT-PCR assay was successful in detecting CDV in blood and fresh or
> formalin-fixed tissues from infected ferrets.
>
> CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Findings suggest that the vaccine
> when given SC to domestic ferrets as directed is safe and protective
> against challenge exposure with virulent CDV. The RT-PCR assay may
> simplify detection of CDV in fresh and fixed tissues.
>
Notice that this does NOT give any data beyond the 21 day mark, and
is only in a small sample, of one tight age group and one gender.
More encompassing studies are needed. (Still, I guess if the
vaccines which actually have been sufficiently tested are lost then
shows and get together events could consider requiring a shot of
Galaxy within 21 days of the events. It would be better than
operating blind.)
One very interesting set of studies comes from the earlier years of
looking at canine distemper. There were two situations in which
colonies of ferrets were exposed to the virus.
In the first only 25% of the ferrets were vaccinated. In that study
the disease really whipped through the unvaccinated (and by the time
any broke with symptoms it was too late to vaccinate).
BUT in the other study about 75% or 80% (I forget which, off hand)
of the ferrets had been vaccinated. The result was that a good
number of the unvaccinated ferrets did not catch the disease because
there were too few individuals who could spread it, due to most being
vaccinated. So, for a place like a shelter or many households which
have a small fraction of ferrets who can not be vaccinated for
medical reasons, if most of the ferrets have throughly tested
vaccines in them which are known to typically last for at least a
year, or have been vaccinated within the proven 21 day timeframe for
Galaxy (and likely something beyond that, though how far beyond is
not known) then there will be protection conferred even on
unvaccinated ferrets due to a reduction in transmission.
I wish they would do the needed larger studies on Galaxy with animals
of a range of ages and both genders so that USDA approval would be
earned. Not doing it is kind of like them saying, "Well, we have you
over a barrel, anyway, so why risk it?
I also would like to see all current vaccines tested for timeframes
beyond a year specifically in ferrets (since variation in the
protection from vaccines varies with vaccine types, animals types,
age, health, and mode of vaccination).
-- Sukie (not a vet)
Ferret Health List co-moderator
http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/ferrethealth
FHL Archives fan
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replacing
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International Ferret Congress advisor
http://www.ferretcongress.org
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