Message Number: YPG1420 | New FHL Archives Search

From: Sukie Crandall
Date: 2007-03-04 19:05:41 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Re: rabies vaccines
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com

I'll let others tackle which diseases should preclude vaccination and=20
hope that one of the experts will step in on that score.

Here are some links to help you, then an explanation with info for=20
you. These and more can be found in the FHL links page:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/links
my links page:
http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html
and when the webmaster for the IFC site gets the rare commodity of=20
some free time to update will be there:
http://www.ferretcongress.org/

Rabies:
Professional information:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/rabies/professional/professi.htm
CDC Q&A on ferrets, dogs, and cats in relation to rabies:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/rabies/Ques&Ans/q&a.htm
National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians: the latest=20
Compendium of Animal Rabies Control and Prevention is in documents:
http://www.nasphv.org
The rabies section here has useful data:
http://www-micro.msb.le.ac.uk/3035/bushmeat/bush4.html


Zoonotic info (some including rabies) but, please, notice that=20
ferrets have fewer zoonoses than many pet species do
Scroll to charts for quick info:
http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/notifiable/rabies/pdf/qvra-
rabies.pdf
A by-species outline of diseases that species of Carnivora get which=20
can be shared with other species:
http://focosi.altervista.org/veterinarymedicine_carnivora.html
http://www.wvu.edu/~rc/acuc/occ_ferrets.htm
http://www.radil.missouri.edu/info/dora/FERRPAGE/zoon.html


Also be absolutely sure to see state sites. States keep their rabies=20
statistics and also states -- although they mostly follow the=20
recommendations of the _Compendium of Animal Rabies and Prevention=20
and Control_ -- sometimes have stricter approaches such as longer=20
quarantines.


Yes, there are several of us here who can answer the history of=20
rabies and rabies vaccines in ferrets because we we tightly involved=20
at various stages.

First, a brief explanation of rabies.

There are multiple strains of rabies.

In the U.S. the vast majority of human cases have involved a form of=20
bat rabies that other species can contract. This is not to say that=20
most bats are infected. One study by Bat Conservation International=20
found that of bats who were "up", i.e. could hang by their rear legs=20
about 5% had rabies infections. Of those who were "down" (could not=20
hang by their rear legs) 15% had rabies infections and the rest had=20
pesticide or rodenticide poisoning. Still, those numbers are high=20
enough to encourage caution when handling bats as in having someone=20
who has been vaccinated do so or if you must then knowing how to do=20
it with increased safety (spoken as someone who used to be involved=20
in some local bat rescue years ago) and I suspect that info may be=20
present or pointed to on the Bat Conservation International site.=20=20
Remember that bat teeth are very small so there are common sense=20
procedures which can reduce risk, but possible exposure in a way=20
which can be infectious does require that prompt medical care be=20
sought. The current rabies help for humans is no longer the painful=20
one used decades ago.

Raccoon rabies has gotten a lot of attention in the eastern U.S.=20=20
Some hunters (from Virginia or West Virginia, if memory serves)=20
decided that there were not enough raccoons to hunt in their area so=20
they illegally went to the Everglades, trapped a number of raccoons,=20
and then brought those raccoons to their state. In so doing they=20
moved a strain of rabies from a small and isolated pocket which today=20
might even be tackled with vaccinated bait, into a place where it=20
could run rampant, and that is exactly what it did, spreading widely.

Some other common rabies strains in the U.S. include skunk, fox, and=20
coyote.

The most common way for a human to be exposed is through an infected=20
domestic animal who goes outside. In most of the world that means=20
dogs, but in the U.S. cats are more often the cause due to more=20
failure to vaccinate cats than dogs. Usually children and teens are=20
infected.

After a bite, or getting the virus in an eye or mucus membrane, etc,=20
or in some mammals eating infected tissue* the rabies makes its way=20
to the brain along a certain set of nerves. If the injury is near=20
the brain, for example on the face or neck, the time can be short.=20=20
If the injury is far away and small, and the person is an adult, the=20
time can occasionally be quite long. There is a case in U.S. files=20
of a woman who was an immigrant from Asia who did not visit Asia for=20
a space of something like 7 years but came down with an Asian strain=20
of rabies after that space of time. That is an exceptionally long=20
time, though, and in normal ranges the longest is more often about a=20
year. That is NOT a reason to wait about getting treatment. It is=20
absolutely important to treat as rapidly as possible. Remember, too,=20
that it can take only a short time in many cases for the disease to=20
get beyond the point where treatment is even possible. (There is one=20
case of a female U.S. teenager who survived rabies with treatment but=20
the last I heard she was still receiving follow-up for neural=20
damage. There are a few (but I don't know if any are proven) reports=20
of a handful of humans who may have survived rabies on their own=20
worldwide.

Currently, there has been a marked increase in human rabies cases in=20
Mainland China making the health news because there are more people=20
getting companion animals, but a lack of appropriate veterinary care,=20
so the numbers of rabies follow-up for humans and cases of people=20
lost to rabies there has had a marked upswing. That can happen=20
anywhere if people don't vaccinate and the disease is present in the=20
wild with possible exposures.

After rabies has travelled up the nerves it propagates in the brain,=20
hence many of the changes that occur with rabies. When the infection=20
is large enough it begins traveling down a different set of nerves.=20=20
It is when INTACT virus makes it to the salivary glands that an=20
animal -- including a human -- can spread rabies so you have two=20
things involved to get a transmittable infection:
1. the animal has to be able to survive the infection long enough to=20
have intact virus make it to the glands
2. the virus has to survive well in the animal

The first is the more important in relation to ferrets. They tend to=20
die before intact virus can be passed down. It IS POSSIBLE for an=20
infection to be gotten from an infected ferret, but the statistics=20
are so against it that so far there are no recorded cases. Do=20
recall, though, that the possibility does exist, despite it having=20
not happened and recorded.

Most (but not all) infected ferrets get the "dumb presentation", in=20
other words they become extremely out of it instead of becoming=20
aggressive, but aggression has happened in some.

Yes, there have been unvaccinated ferrets who have been infected with=20
rabies. You will find info in the CDC and zoonotics sites.

This site has some good links and is written and maintained by a very=20
kind and logical British academic (having had conversations but=20
having misplaced my contact info including name...):
http://www-micro.msb.le.ac.uk/3035/bushmeat/bush4.html
and I like that it has a related news feed build right into the=20
article with timely links

BEGIN QUOTES
Rabies belongs to the order Mononegvirales, and is part of the=20
Rhabdoviridae family and the Lyssavirus genus. There are seven=20
species of Lyssavirus with serotype 1 being classic rabies (CDC=20
Rabies Homepage 2004 and WHO Rabies 2002). Rabies can be acquired=20
from a number of different carnivorous animals that include dogs,=20
cats, ferret, raccoons, and bats (Morrison 2001, Rupprecht et al.=20
2002, WHO Rabies 2001, and Weber et al. 2001). For the purpose of=20
this project it is important to note that it can be acquired from=20
ferrets which are a common exotic pet. In the USA five to seven=20
million ferrets are kept as pets but there are no recorded cases of=20
rabies acquisition from ferrets (Morrison 2001 and Weber 2001). The=20
most common vectors for rabies are dogs and they cause roughly 35,000=20
human fatalities annually (Rupprecht et al. 2002). The WHO (2002)=20
estimate that there are 50,000 deaths attributed to rabies annually=20
with 30,000 of these deaths occurring in India and 99% of all deaths=20
occurring in Africa, Asia and South America.

...

Rabies is transmitted from the infected animals saliva to humans via=20
a transdermal bite, scratch or even lick to a mucous membrane (mouth,=20
eye, skin lesion). The virus proliferates inside the body in muscle=20
or connective tissues where it had been inoculated. The virus=20
particles then enter peripheral nerves and travel to the CNS by=20
retrograde axonal transport.

...

The length of incubation of rabies depends on the site of the bite=20
and the size of the inoculation, therefore incubation can last up to=20
3 weeks to a year. Clinical signs of the disease take two forms=20
furious rabies and paralytic rabies. Initial symptoms after infection=20
include fever and pain at inoculation site. Symptoms associated with=20
furious rabies are linked with spasms for example hydrophobia is=20
classically linked to rabies, people with hydrophobia are scarred to=20
drink fluids because of the spasms that occur when swallowing and=20
aerophobia is another classic symptom. Behavioral changes also=20
transpire for example anxiety, agitation, confusion and fluctuating=20
consciousness. Paralytic rabies is characterized by myoedema and=20
roughly 50% of paralytic rabies patients endure phobic spasm. But=20
both furious and paralytic rabies patients die via respiratory=20
paralysis...

END QUOTES

Okay, now the history of ferrets and rabies in the U.S.

Not all that long ago, ferrets were illegal in a number of states and=20
communities due to lack of information (and they remain illegal in=20
some but a great many changed their laws once enough rabies data was=20
collected), and a large number of ferrets were destroyed each and=20
every year, year after year, due to bites, scratches, scratches from=20
their cages (No, I am not joking; that is what happened in at least=20
several situations, including possibly in the well publicized case of=20
Kodo the ferret.), and in a few cases there were what were testified=20
to as false reports of such injuries made by ex-boyfriends or ex-
spouses as revenge to cause mourning for the ex. Typically, such=20
reports resulted in the ferrets being destroyed so that their brains=20
could be examined because that is how one knows for sure if rabies is=20
present.

The process of having ferrets have the same protection as dogs and=20
cats was a long one, and it began with a place that is most commonly=20
villanized in ferret lists: Marshall Farms. Marshall Farms covered=20
a huge chunk (though I am unclear if it is all or "merely" most) of=20
the cost of finding which rabies vaccines would work for ferrets.=20=20
There were several likely vaccine candidates investigated, and then=20
it narrowed down to a few which were tested. Of three of those one=20
vaccine caused a number of nasty side effects. (All of those ferrets=20
were personally adopted by Dr. Judi Bell, DVM, who was then=20
Marshall's veterinarian because she could give them extra vet care,=20
and the last one of those to die passed away at over 10 years of=20
age.). Another vaccine, which gives longer protection in other=20
species provided only 6 months of protection for ferrets. Sorry, but=20
I have since forgotten the names of those two vaccines, but they give=20
an idea of variability. Merial's IMRAB 3 was the vaccine which=20
showed protection for as long as year with a low risk rate of=20
reactions. Might it provide protection for longer? That is=20
possible, BUT IT HAS NOT HAD CHALLENGE TESTING so we do not know=20
without that, and rabies is such a serious infectious, fatal disease=20
that the data needs to be strictly reliable.

It was that work which led to the USDA considering and then okaying=20
IMRAB 3 for use in ferrets in 1990.

Then the balance of the decade long work began. That involved=20
getting enough data on how strains of rabies behave in ferrets.=20=20
Multiple places, including the Morris Animal Foundation, collected=20
funding so that data could be collected. Meanwhile, Dr. Rupprecht of=20
the CDC adores ferrets and he reminded people repeatedly there there=20
was no one-species study which compared the strains of rabies=20
(important missing data). That combination got the funding.

Before this there had been U.S. testing on ingested infected tissue=20
and it was already known that ferrets don't get it that way, and=20
there had been French and German ferret studies of three rabies=20
strains in exist in Europe. If memory serves it was the French=20
researchers who found how to give rabies infections to ferrets=20
without so overwhelming them that they died almost immediately.

Once the funding was in place (most from the federal government --=20
tax dollars -- because knowing how many differences may exist between=20
rabies strains is so important for human health and zoonotic disease=20
control) the CDC began testing in conjunction with some other rabies=20
labs (very highly specialized infectious disease laboratories) and=20
was done strain by strain over a number of years.

Were ferrets lost to the testing of these strains? Yes, but at the=20
time there actually were some states which each killed more ferrets=20
than that total number lost to testing in only a few months' time=20
each due to accusations of injuries, so the results of this work very=20
rapidly saved more ferret lives than were sacrificed.

At the end of that testing Dr. Rupprecht and his co-authors strongly=20
recommended in 1997 to the rabies committee of the National=20
Association of State Public Health Veterinarians that ferrets be=20
written into the _Compendium of Animal Rabies Control and Prevention_=20
to be treated the same ways as dogs and cats. They agreed and in=20
their annual meeting of these professionals who are BOTH=20
veterinarians and epidemiologists there was a vote that November to=20
positively change the compendium beginning with the 1998 edition. If=20
memory serves it passed unanimously among those who were present=20
because the data behind it was so incredibly strong.

Not all were present, though, and not all states are organized from=20
the top down in relation to zoonotic control, so then followed the=20
education portion of the work.

For the Ferret Mailing List, its member ferret groups, and for the=20
Morris Animal Foundation I followed up with every U.S. state,=20
territory, and military veterinary oversight, while keeping Dr.=20
Rupprecht also informed. (That is why I know what I do, but others=20
did the majority or sometimes all of other portions of the work.)=20=20
These data can be found in the late 1997 and the 1998 FMLs in those=20
archives (See links page to get there.). When there was need Dr.=20
Rupprecht himself became involved to get states to go to the changes=20
that could save ferrets. In at least one case he even flew cross-
country on his own dime to give professional testimony ot help save=20
ferrets from being killed needlessly. There were some states where=20
the epidemiologists were unaware. In some the need went beyond=20
regulations because legislation was required in those states and=20
residents had to take the data packets provided by several of us and=20
change their own state rabies laws. In yet other states the local=20
health people have the power to ignore their state health departments=20
(leading to one expert saying that it scared him sick what would=20
happen if his state had a TB outbreak) so in those states the=20
resident ferret people had to work in community after community=20
educating these people with information packets and presentations.=20=20
(Steve and I ate $5,000 in personal cost not counting donations on=20
this but were far from alone; other people like Troy Lynn Eckart who=20
I hope will have time to also post with information for you, and a=20
number of people who had to challenge state laws or educate very=20
widely in their states also did similar things at similar costs, and=20
I suspect much higher costs in some of the states.) In every single=20
state there needed to be follow-up with local emergency personnel for=20
human health because most were unaware of the improvement. A lot of=20
people worked their tails off over a space of more than a year=20
getting the information out there.

As to the types of tumors which can happen at sites of injection;=20
those are very rare in ferrets, I think all of that handful studied=20
in ferrets involved an old and now discontinued CDV vaccine (but am=20
not sure), and those tumors can result even from injections or other=20
punctures that don't even include vaccines in other animals.

I hope that others chime in with more information for you. Troy Lynn=20
and some of the people she worked with almost managed to save Kodo=20
and certainly did vast good throughout most of the process of=20
protecting ferrets from both rabies and from abusive rabies regulations.


--Sukie

*Dogs have been infected by eating infected tissue; the last I read=20
cats and ferrets still never have.



> From: "sue thomas" <ferretsnfelines@earthlink.net>
> Date: Sun Mar 4, 2007 10:44 am
> Subject: rabies vaccines
> ferrets_felines
>

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> Hi, I need some help, I am trying to do some extensive research=20
> into the rabies
> vaccine (Imrab 3) for several answers.
>
> **One question is why does the company Merial suggest after first=20
> vaccine, a
> different amount of time for ferrets from cats and dogs? Cats &=20
> dogs can be done
> every 3 years since the shot is a 3 year vaccination and there is=20
> NO one year
> shot really. But for ferrets, they say do every year. I don't=20
> understand why,
> does anyone know?
>
> **Also, have there been any documented cases of rabies in ferrets?=20
> If so, do you
> know where to find it? Also,, once infected with rabies, how long=20
> does it take
> to see signs in a ferret? How long would a quarantine time be for a=20
> ferret
> compared to the 10-14 days for a dog or cat?
>
> **Is there any research still going on with this vaccine for=20
> ferrets? If so,
> will they ever get to the same recommendation as cats and dogs(3=20
> years)?
>
> **Merial suggest giving only to healthy ferrets, cats & dogs, what=20
> is the
> definition for healthy ferret? What I mean is, a very high=20
> percentage of ferrets
> or older cats and dogs have some health problems and usually not=20
> good, as we all
> know, in ferrets it's adrenal, insulinoma, and the list goes on. So=20
> what health
> issues in a ferret or any cat or dog, will justify no more=20
> vaccinations for that
> animal?
>
> **And, I read somewhere and can't find it now, that the site of=20
> vaccination
> sometimes has caused tumors and or cancer in animals, anyone ever=20
> hear of this?
>
> thanks,
> sue

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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