From:
Sukie Crandall
Date: 2008-02-02 19:44:56 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] abstracts involving ferrets (this latest grouping is not of use to most vets)
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
> J S Afr Vet Assoc. 2007 Sep;78(3):116-20.
> Seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis in sheep in South Africa.
>
> Samra NA, McCrindle CM, Penzhorn BL, Cenci-Goga B.
> Department of Paraclinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Science,
> University of Pretoria, Private Bag X04, Onderstepoort, 0110 South
> Africa.
> Serum samples from 600 sheep were collected from 5 different
> provinces randomly chosen in South Africa. Two sheep abattoirs
> (representing formal slaughter of sheep) and 1 rural location
> (representing informal slaughter of sheep) per province were also
> selected randomly. The serum samples were tested for anti-Toxoplasma
> gondii IgG antibodies using 2 different serological tests: an
> indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA) test and an enzyme-linked
> immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test available as a commercial kit. This
> study provides the first published data on seroprevalence of
> toxoplasmosis in sheep in South Africa, although positive titres
> have been found previously in wild felids, ferrets, chinchillas and
> a dog. Data on seroprevalence in sheep is considered important
> because consumption of mutton is universally considered to be a
> source of zoonotic transfer to humans. Seroprevalence in humans in
> South Africa was previously found to be 20 % and it is postulated
> that this may be linked to the informal slaughter and consumption of
> mutton. During this study, the overall national seroprevalence per
> province in sheep was found to be 5.6 % (IFA) and 4.3 % (ELISA),
> respectively. This is lower than in other countries, possibly
> because South Africa has an arid climate. Differences in
> seroprevalence in different areas studied suggested an association
> with the climate and a significant correlation (P > 0.05) was
> detected between the prevalence of T. gondii and the minimum average
> temperature. The seroprevalence was found to be significantly higher
> (P < 0.01) in sheep originating from commercial farms (7.9 %) than
> in rural sheep in the informal sector (3.4 %). Also, sheep managed
> extensively had a seroprevalence of 1.8 %, which was significantly
> lower (P < 0.05) than the seroprevalence in sheep under semi-
> intensive or intensive management systems (5.3%). An incidental
> finding of interest was the considerable movement of sheep to
> abattoirs and mutton after slaughter. The highest consumption of
> mutton was in the Western Cape Province (29.9%) while the highest
> concentration of sheep is found in the Eastern Cape Province (30.1%).
> PMID: 18237032 [PubMed - in process]
>
There had been problems with previous SARS studies in
ferrets and cats because the animals were NOT first checked
to make sure that they did not have OTHER coronaviruses
and the researchers erroneously assumed that any coronaviruses
found were SARS.
Oh, and about that same time some foolish reporters thought
that ferrets get Monkey Pox (which they do NOT get) because
they mistakenly thought that ferrets are rodents rather than
members of Carnivora.
> Virology. 2008 Jan 28 [Epub ahead of print]
> The SARS-CoV ferret model in an infection-challenge study.
>
> Chu YK, Ali GD, Jia F, Li Q, Kelvin D, Couch RC,Harrod KS, Hutt JA,
> Cameron C, Weiss SR, Jonsson CB.
> Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Southern Research
> Institute, Birmingham, AL, USA.
> Phase I human clinical studies involving therapeutics for emerging
> and biodefense pathogens with low incidence, such as the severe
> acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV), requires at a
> minimum preclinical evaluation of efficacy in two well-characterized
> and robust animal models. Thus, a ferret SARS-CoV model was
> evaluated over a period of 58 days following extensive optimization
> and characterization of the model in order to validate clinical,
> histopathological, virological and immunological endpoints. Ferrets
> that were infected intranasally with 10(3) TCID(50) SARS-CoV showed
> higher body temperature (2-6 d.p.i.), sneezing (5-10 d.p.i.),
> lesions (5-7 d.p.i.) and decreased WBC/lymphocytes (2-5 d.p.i.).
> SARS-CoV was detected up to 7 d.p.i. in various tissues and excreta,
> while neutralizing antibody titers rose at 7 d.p.i. and peaked at 14
> d.p.i. At 29 d.p.i., one group was challenged with 10(3) TCID(50)
> SARS-CoV, and an anamnestic response in neutralizing antibodies was
> evident with no detectable virus. This study supports the validity
> of the ferret model for use in evaluating efficacy of potential
> therapeutics to treat SARS.
> PMID: 18234270 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
>
> Virology. 2008 Jan 28 [Epub ahead of print]
> Injectable peramivir mitigates disease and promotes survival in
> ferrets and mice infected with the highly virulent influenza virus,
> A/Vietnam/1203/04 (H5N1).
>
> Yun NE, Linde NS, Zacks MA, Barr IG, Hurt AC,Smith JN, Dziuba N,
> Holbrook MR, Zhang L,Kilpatrick JM, Arnold CS, Paessler S.
> Center for Biodefense and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Department
> of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA.
> The post-exposure therapeutic efficacy of injectable peramivir
> against highly pathogenic avian influenza type A H5N1 was evaluated
> in mice and in ferrets. Seventy to eighty percent of the H5N1-
> infected peramivir-treated mice, and 70% in the oseltamivir treated
> mice survived the 15-day study period, as compared to 36% in control
> (vehicle) group. Ferrets were infected intranasally with H5N1
> followed by treatment with multiple doses of peramivir. In two of
> three trials, a statistically significant increase in survival over
> a 16-18 day period resulted from peramivir treatment, with improved
> survival of 40-64% in comparison to mock-treated or untreated
> animals. Injected peramivir mitigates virus-induced disease, reduces
> infectious virus titers in the lungs and brains and promotes
> survival in ferrets infected intranasally with this highly
> neurovirulent isolate. A single intramuscular peramivir injection
> protected mice against severe disease outcomes following infection
> with highly pathogenic avian influenza and multi-dose treatment was
> efficacious in ferrets.
> PMID: 18234269 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
>
> Lab Anim (NY). 2008 Feb;37(2):81-6.
> A comparative analysis of carbon dioxide displacement rates for
> euthanasia of the ferret.
>
> Fitzhugh DC, Parmer A, Shelton LJ, Sheets JT.
> Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD.
> Though carbon dioxide asphyxiation is a common method of euthanasia
> for laboratory animals, species-specific guidelines have not been
> established for this procedure in the domestic ferret (Mustela
> putorius furo). The authors investigated the efficacy and stress
> effects of carbon dioxide euthanasia in 24 ferrets that had
> participated in previous experimental protocols. They euthanized
> ferrets by placing them in cages that were either prefilled with
> carbon dioxide or gradually filled at a displacement rate of 10%,
> 20% or 50% of the cage volume per min. Blinded observers
> subjectively evaluated ferret distress. Prefilling the cage or
> filling it at a rate of 50% volume per min resulted in less time to
> recumbency and to last breath than did filling the cage at a slower
> displacement rate. Slower carbon dioxide displacement rates also
> caused an increase in ferret blood glucose concentrations, which may
> indicate distress. Overall, observers found that prefilling the
> euthanasia cage caused the least stress to ferrets.
> PMID: 18216799 [PubMed - in process]
>
Sukie (not a vet)
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
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional
<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/join
(Yahoo! ID required)
<*> To change settings via email:
mailto:ferrethealth-digest@yahoogroups.com
mailto:ferrethealth-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
ferrethealth-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/