From:
"Sukie Crandall"
Date: 2009-08-13 21:16:23 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Re: Mystery death and chronic diarrhoea
To: ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com
ECE is present in Europe and therefore possibly
also in the UK but it is NOT an easy diagnosis
to make firmly.
The term is used too loosely.
The actual disease is a coronavirus. There are
general tests which will tell if ANY in a range of
coronaviruses is present and that may be useful.
Firm identification requires DNA testing and
extremely few places worldwide do that for
ferret veterinary diseases. The team at Michigan
State is the best choice for exactly knowing.
You may be be well enough served by having a
general test for coronaviruses in general done
to see if ECE might be present as well as having
multiple specimens looked at for the smaller forms
of coccidia.
Often with a coronavirus the more general test
(monoclonal antibody) is done because the vet does
not need something more specific to choose how
to respond.
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/FHL9546 includes
BEGIN QUOTE
To diagnose this disease histopath and
immunohistochemistry staining is needed. Sounds like
your pathologist did these 2 tests. Most vet labs can
do these 2 tests. They use the same monoclonal antibody
(FIP V3-70) for cats and ferrets with the IHC staining. Now
what Michigan State can do that most labs cannot do is to
sequence the coronavirus. This is to test for what strain
of coronavirus is causing the problem and may help them
develop a PCR or other test that can be used for this disease.
END QUOTE
The monoclonal antibody test will tell you if a coronavirus
is present, but not say specifically WHICH coronavirus.
Sometimes that is enough. To know exactly, there is the
type of testing the Michigan State team can do.
For finding the smaller coccidia (which can and has been
fatal all on its own this info will help your vet):
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/FHL9021
BEGIN QUOTE
The vet says most labs view fecals under the microscope
at a 10 objective on top and a 10 objective on the bottom
(magnification of 100) and when you view a fecal like this,
it appears very unremarkable - looks sort of like red blood
cells - very even.
But when you look at the same fecal under a 10 objective
on the top and a 40 objective on the bottom (magnification
of 400) you will absolutely see this type of coccidia
END QUOTE
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/
http://www.ferrethealth.msu.edu/
http://www.ferretcongress.org/
http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml
http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html
all ferret topics:
http://listserv.ferretmailinglist.org/archives/ferret-search.html
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