From:
Sukie Crandall
Date: 2007-04-21 21:47:58 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Minced/chopped beef recall info for those who make at-home foods for ferrets
To: ferret-list@cunyvm.cuny.edu, ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
Recall for E. coli contamination:
about 100,00 pounds of frozen hamburger patties which were produced
between April and May 2006 by Richwood Meat. The recalled beef is
found in hamburger patties and ground beef sold under the brands
Fireriver, Chef's Pride, Ritz Food, Blackwood Farms, California
Pacific Associates, C&C Distributing, Golbon and Richwood. The
strain has not yet been identified.
Besides sickening and sometimes killing humans, E. coli can kill
ferrets (including BFFs), especially the nastier strains of the
bacterium, and at least some strains can cause permanent kidney
damage in a large portion of surviving ferrets.
Examples of some of the existing studies:
BEGIN QUOTES
Woods, J.B., C.K. Schmitt, S.C. Darnell, K.C. Meysick, and A.
O'Brien (2002). Ferrets as a model system for renal disease
secondary to intestinal infection with Escherichia coli O157:H7
and other Shiga toxin-producing E. coli. Journal of Infectious
Diseases 185(4): 550-554. ISSN: 0022-1899.
NAL Call Number: 448.8 J821
Abstract: Ferrets were evaluated as a possible small animal
model for the development of colitis and/or signs of the
hemolytic uremic syndrome after oral infection with Escherichia
coli O157:H7 or other Shiga toxin--producing E. coli (STEC).
Ferrets treated with streptomycin (Stm) had higher counts of
E. coli O157:H7 strain 86-24 Stm-resistant (Stm(r)) or O91:H21
strain B2F1 Stm(r) in their stools than non--Stm-treated animals.
None of the animals displayed evidence of colitis, but Stm-
treated animals fed strain 86-24 Stm(r) exhibited weight loss
significantly greater than that exhibited by ferrets fed an isogenic
mutant negative for the adhesin intimin. Moreover, 11 (23%) of
the 47 Stm-treated ferrets inoculated with 86-24 Stm(r) or B2F1
Stm(r) developed hematuria and/or histological damage to
glomeruli or thrombocytopenia, compared with 0 of 14 uninfected
control animals receiving Stm in water. Thus, the ferret may serve
as a model for renal disease secondary to intestinal infection with
STEC.
Descriptors: ferrets, animal disease models, Escherichia coli
infections, Escherichia coli o157 pathogenicity, Escherichia coli
proteins, intestinal diseases, kidney diseases, shiga toxin, intestinal
diseases, streptomycin
J Clin Microbiol. 2004 Dec;42(12):5904-8.
Characterization of hemolytic Escherichia coli strains in ferrets:
recognition of candidate virulence factor CNF1.
Marini RP, Taylor NS, Liang AY, Knox KA, Pena JA, Schauer DB, Fox JG.
Division of Comparative Medicine, Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
Diseases associated with Escherichia coli infection are the subject
of renewed interest due to emerging conditions such as hemolytic
uremia syndrome. A collection of 15 strains of beta-hemolytic E. coli
was isolated from diarrheic feces and diseased tissues of ferrets.
All 15 strains were positive in specific PCR assays for the presence
of hlyA, pap1, and cnf1. Seven of the cnf1-positive isolates were
tested and shown to have a cytopathic effect on HeLa cell monolayers.
The pathogenesis of these strains warrants future study.
PMID: 15583337 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
J Wildl Dis. 2001 Jul;37(3):617-20.
Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli infection in captive black-footed
ferrets.
Bradley GA, Orr K, Reggiardo C, Glock RD.
Department of Veterinary Science and Microbiology, The University of
Arizona, Tucson 85705, USA. gabrad@ag.arizona.edu
Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli with genes for heat stabile toxins
Sta and STb was isolated from the gastrointestinal tract and multiple
visceral organs of three adult and three juvenile black-footed
ferrets (Mustela nigripes) that died in a captive breeding colony
between 24 May 1998 and 2 July 1998. Similar isolates were obtained
from rectal swabs of one adult and one juvenile that were clinically
ill. All were fed a diet composed of mink chow, raw rabbit meat, beef
liver powder, blood meal and lard. Escherichia coli of the same toxin
genotype was isolated from the mixed ration. Clinical signs included
sudden death, dehydration, anorexia and diarrhea. Necropsy lesions
included acute enteritis with large numbers of rod shaped bacteria
microscopically visible on intestinal villi.
PMID: 11504237 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
END QUOTES
Sukie (not a vet)
Current FHL address:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth
Recommended ferret health links:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html
http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/
http://www.ferretcongress.org/
http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml
http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html
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