From:
"Tressie"
Date: 2008-04-29 11:20:39 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Mongo Memorial Distemper Titer Study
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
With all the discussion around a potential distemper source to kits -
I would like to remind everyone about Dr. Ruth Heller's Mongo
Memorial Distemper Titer Study. For those who worry about a
distemper vaccine reaction, enrolling in the study is a way to
determine whether your ferrets are already protected and therefore,
don't currently require vaccinating.
I live on the East Coast of Canada and have enrolled mine in this
study, so it is not restricted to U.S. I have the peace of mind
knowing they are protected because the vaccine-induced titers'
results confirmed they are. For two of them, this is 2 years out
from their last vaccination. One had a titer level of 192 - the
other 512. Titer levels over 32 indicate protection. The other two
had values of 384 and 768 a year out from their last vaccination.
The rest will be tested closer to the anniversary dates of their last
vaccinations.
Hence, I do not need to worry about a reaction to a vaccine since
they will not be vaccinated until the titers drop.
One hypothesis is that reactions occur because vaccinating an animal
who is already protected (i.e., high titer values) sets up an
internal chain of a series of biochemical events. For example, I
speculate that my gib with a titer value of 768 would have a higher
probability of having a reaction if I was to vaccinate him now. But
knowing he is still protected there is no need to vaccinate him and
risk a reaction. Reactions can range from the lethargy a recent post
described, to more serious life threatening anaphlyaxis.
Information about the study can be found at:
http://www.ferret.org/news/07-april-titer_study.html
Tressie
[Moderator's Note: although certain titer levels indicate protection in
DOGS it remains unclear exactly what the titer numbers mean in ferrets;
hence this first part of the study. Eventually it will be possible to know
if the titer numbers' meanings are the same for ferrets as for dogs or
if they have their own number range which indicates that there is still
enough protection for most healthy ferrets.]
------------------------------------
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/