From:
sukiec@optonline.net
Date: 2006-06-05 22:16:38 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] RE: ECE Virus
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
I have heard back from Dr. Matti Kiupel who mentions that if a person searc=
hes under =
ferret and coronavirus
the only recent paper is theirs. (See later in this post for recently issu=
ed abstract.)
They have additionally written on FIP lesions, and have a patent on FECV as=
the causative agent of ECE.
I think that the reason that some people have written on their websites or =
boards that there are multiple ECE strains are these:
Real ECE is one whopper of a horrible disease (as Ngaire has so accurately =
pointed out) when it hits a naive adult ferret, and that has ALWAYS been tr=
ue, BUT there have been those who have assumed that green diarrhea is only =
caused by ECE. That is not so. Anything which causes rapid enough transit=
will result in green runs, and most of those illnesses are milder and shor=
ter term than ECE. The upshot is that people read about all those people w=
ho encountered an easier illness which they incorrectly called "ECE", but t=
hen someone like Ngaire gets the real thing in the household and all heck b=
reaks loose. As we have seen recently, real ECE is so serious that among o=
ther things it can cause kidney damage and even death. So when people talk=
about seeing a "worse" ECE, well, they are not really seeing a worse ECE; =
instead they are typically seeing REAL ECE and the folks who had the easy t=
ime never encountered ECE.
Now, there is an exception to that. Notice that I specifically mentioned n=
aive adults. Kits usually have an easier time when they get ECE. Despite =
that, the small intestinal damage which results appears to be among the thi=
ngs that could be able to set the stage for the later onset of IBD (which i=
n turn can possibly sometimes lead to GI malignancies after years of inflam=
mation). Some cases of IBD are very responsive, but others present years o=
f tightrope walking with serious medical approaches that have to be changed=
rather often.
Here is a new study from Virology for you, so enjoy!
Virology. 2006 May 25;349(1):164-74. Epub 2006 Feb 24.
Molecular characterization of a novel coronavirus associated with epizooti=
c catarrhal enteritis (ECE) in ferrets.
Wise AG, Kiupel M, Maes RK.
Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health, Rm. 136E, 4125 Beaumont=
Road, Lansing, MI 48909, USA; Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI =
48824, USA.
A novel coronavirus, designated as ferret enteric coronavirus (FECV), was i=
dentified in feces of domestic ferrets clinically diagnosed with epizootic =
catarrhal enteritis (ECE). Initially, partial sequences of the polymerase, =
spike, membrane protein, and nucleocapsid genes were generated using corona=
virus consensus PCR assays. Subsequently, the complete sequences of the nuc=
leocapsid gene and the last two open reading frames at the 3' terminus of t=
he FECV genome were obtained. Phylogenetic analyses based on predicted part=
ial amino acid sequences of the polymerase, spike, and membrane proteins, a=
nd full sequence of the nucleocapsid protein showed that FECV is geneticall=
y most closely related to group 1 coronaviruses. FECV is more similar to fe=
line coronavirus, porcine transmissible gastroenteritis virus, and canine c=
oronavirus than to porcine epidemic diarrhea virus and human coronavirus 22=
9E. Molecular data presented in this study provide the first genetic eviden=
ce for a new coronavirus associated with clinical cases of ECE.
PMID: 16499943 [PubMed - in process]
This will also interest you:
<http://avmajournals.avma.org/doi/abs/10.2460/javma.2000.217.526;jsessionid=
=3Diwxga-dwkYe7gk7nMU?cookieSet=3D1&journalCode=3Djavma>
You will have already read:
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/ECE/ECE.html
unless you missed an earlier reference; it is highly recommended.
Past posts from Dr. Bruce Williams are highly recommended. Notice that cor=
onaviruses are not particularly prone to mutating.
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/browse.php?msg=3DSG6289
includes some things that closely fit this conversation, but there are plen=
ty more:
START QUOTE
Actually, coronaviruses aren't know for their predilection to mutate, such =
as we see with influenza viruses (of a different family, the Pramyxoviridae=
). There are many variables that determine whether a particular animal will=
become clinically ill, subclinically infected, or fight off infection. Age=
, previous infection, maternal antibody, and concurrent disease are some of=
them. =
It is well known that young animals are rarely clinically infected with the=
coronavirus that causes ECE, but can be carriers for up to 6-8 months. Cor=
onaviruses appear to infect more readily in animals with a higher gastric p=
H, and the prevlaence of H. mustelae infection in older ferrets supports th=
e higher frequency of clinical infection in this demographic. Additionally,=
many kits have maternal antibody, as quite a few breeders have endemic ong=
oing infections (facilities in which clinical animals become extremely rare=
over time.) So it is of no surprise that the young animal is perfectly fin=
e while the three older ferrets are experiencing ECE firsthand. =
Currently, there appear to be a number of ongoing ECE outbreaks, far more t=
han we have seen in recent years. It is likley that this may become the sta=
tus quo - seeing hotbeds of infection every couple of yers as immunity in t=
he animals of a particular area begins to wane. =
With kindest regards, =
Bruce Williams, DVM =
END QUOTE
-- Sukie (not a vet, and not speaking for any of the below in my private po=
sts)
Recommended health resources to help ferrets and the people who love them:
Ferret Health List
http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/ferrethealth
FHL Archives
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
AFIP Ferret Pathology
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html
Miamiferrets
http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/
International Ferret Congress Critical References
http://www.ferretcongress.org
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