From:
Sukie Crandall
Date: 2010-02-19 19:34:39 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] abstracts
To: fhl <ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com>
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20159545
> Vet Clin North Am Exot Anim Pract. 2010 Jan;13(1):107-122.
> The Senior Ferret (Mustela Putorius Furo). Hoppes SM. Department of=20
> Veterinary Small Animal Sciences, Texas A&M University, College of=20
> Veterinary Medicine, 4474 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843-4474, USA.
> Ferrets are an increasingly popular pet in the United States. They=20
> are active, gregarious pets that delight their owners with playful=20
> antics. One of the issues that ferret owners and veterinarians have=20
> had to deal with is their shortened life span. Although literature=20
> cites the life span of the ferret as 8 to 10 years, most=20
> veterinarians see ferrets as "old" at as early as 3 years of age.=20
> Most information on senior ferrets has focused on neoplastic=20
> diseases. This article discusses husbandry and nutritional issues of=20
> the aging ferret, more commonly seen geriatric diseases, and=20
> diagnostic and treatment options.
> Copyright =A9 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. PMID: 20159545=20
> [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20161706
> PLoS One. 2010 Feb 8;5(2):e9106.
> New Class of Monoclonal Antibodies against Severe Influenza:=20
> Prophylactic and Therapeutic Efficacy in Ferrets.
> Friesen RH, Koudstaal W, Koldijk MH, Weverling GJ, Brakenhoff JP,=20
> Lenting PJ, Stittelaar KJ, Osterhaus AD, Kompier R, Goudsmit J.=20
> Crucell Holland BV, Leiden, The Netherlands.
> BACKGROUND: The urgent medical need for innovative approaches to=20
> control influenza is emphasized by the widespread resistance of=20
> circulating subtype H1N1 viruses to the leading antiviral drug=20
> oseltamivir, the pandemic threat posed by the occurrences of human=20
> infections with highly pathogenic avian H5N1 viruses, and indeed the=20
> evolving swine-origin H1N1 influenza pandemic. A recently discovered=20
> class of human monoclonal antibodies with the ability to neutralize=20
> a broad spectrum of influenza viruses (including H1, H2, H5, H6 and=20
> H9 subtypes) has the potential to prevent and treat influenza in=20
> humans. Here we report the latest efficacy data for a representative=20
> antibody of this novel class. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We=20
> evaluated the prophylactic and therapeutic efficacy of the human=20
> monoclonal antibody CR6261 against lethal challenge with the highly=20
> pathogenic avian H5N1 virus in ferrets, the optimal model of human=20
> influenza infection. Survival rates, clinically relevant disease=20
> signs such as changes in body weight and temperature, virus=20
> replication in lungs and upper respiratory tract, as well as macro-=20
> and microscopic pathology were investigated. Prophylactic=20
> administration of 30 and 10 mg/kg CR6261 prior to viral challenge=20
> completely prevented mortality, weight loss and reduced the amount=20
> of infectious virus in the lungs by more than 99.9%, abolished=20
> shedding of virus in pharyngeal secretions and largely prevented=20
> H5N1-induced lung pathology. When administered therapeutically 1 day=20
> after challenge, 30 mg/kg CR6261 prevented death in all animals and=20
> blunted disease, as evidenced by decreased weight loss and=20
> temperature rise, reduced lung viral loads and shedding, and less=20
> lung damage. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: These data demonstrate the=20
> prophylactic and therapeutic efficacy of this new class of human=20
> monoclonal antibodies in a highly stringent and clinically relevant=20
> animal model of influenza and justify clinical development of this=20
> approach as intervention for both seasonal and pandemic influenza.
> PMID: 20161706 [PubMed - in process]
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20164336
> J Neurosci. 2010 Feb 17;30(7):2513-20.
> Overexpression of serum response factor restores ocular dominance=20
> plasticity in a model of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.
> Paul AP, Pohl-Guimaraes F, Krahe TE, Filgueiras CC, Lantz CL,=20
> Colello RJ, Wang W, Medina AE.
> Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Virginia Commonwealth=20
> University School of Medicine, Richmond, Virginia 23298-0709, and=20
> Department of Physiology, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro,=20
> Rio de Janeiro, RJ 20550-170, Brazil.
> Neuronal plasticity deficits underlie many of the neurobehavioral=20
> problems seen in fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). Recently,=20
> we showed that third trimester alcohol exposure leads to a=20
> persistent disruption in ocular dominance (OD) plasticity. For=20
> instance, a few days of monocular deprivation results in a robust=20
> reduction of cortical regions responsive to the deprived eye in=20
> normal animals, but not in ferrets exposed early to alcohol. This=20
> plasticity deficit can be reversed if alcohol-exposed animals are=20
> treated with a phosphodiesterase type 1 (PDE1) inhibitor during the=20
> period of monocular deprivation. PDE1 inhibition can increase cAMP=20
> and cGMP levels, activating transcription factors such as the cAMP=20
> response element binding protein (CREB) and the serum response=20
> factor (SRF). SRF is important for many plasticity processes such as=20
> LTP, LTD, spine motility, and axonal pathfinding. Here we attempt to=20
> rescue OD plasticity in alcohol-treated ferrets using a Sindbis=20
> viral vector to express a constitutively active form of SRF during=20
> the period of monocular deprivation. Using optical imaging of=20
> intrinsic signals and single-unit recordings, we observed that=20
> overexpression of a constitutively active form of SRF, but neither=20
> its dominant-negative nor GFP, restored OD plasticity in alcohol-
> treated animals. Surprisingly, this restoration was observed=20
> throughout the extent of the primary visual cortex and most cells=20
> infected by the virus were positive for GFAP rather than NeuN. This=20
> finding suggests that overexpression of SRF in astrocytes may reduce=20
> the deficits in neuronal plasticity seen in models of FASD.
> PMID: 20164336
Sometimes cousins can provide useful information which may generalize=20
under certain conditions:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20158329
> Vector Borne Zoonotic Dis. 2010 January/February;10(1):27-35.
> Enzootic Plague Reduces Black-Footed Ferret (Mustela nigripes)=20
> Survival in Montana.
> Matchett MR, Biggins DE, Carlson V, Powell B, Rocke T.
> 1 Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge, U.S. Fish and=20
> Wildlife Service , Lewistown, Montana.
> Abstract Black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes) require extensive=20
> prairie dog colonies (Cynomys spp.) to provide habitat and prey.=20
> Epizootic plague kills both prairie dogs and ferrets and is a major=20
> factor limiting recovery of the highly endangered ferret. In=20
> addition to epizootics, we hypothesized that enzootic plague, that=20
> is, presence of disease-causing Yersinia pestis without any=20
> noticeable prairie dog die off, may also affect ferret survival. We=20
> reduced risk of plague on portions of two ferret reintroduction=20
> areas by conducting flea control for 3 years. Beginning in 2004,=20
> about half of the ferrets residing on dusted and nondusted colonies=20
> were vaccinated against plague with an experimental vaccine (F1-V=20
> fusion protein). We evaluated 6-month reencounter rates (percentage=20
> of animals observed at the end of an interval that were known alive=20
> at the beginning of the interval), an index to survival, for ferrets=20
> in four treatment groups involving all combinations of vaccination=20
> and flea control. For captive-reared ferrets (115 individuals=20
> observed across 156 time intervals), reencounter rates were higher=20
> for vaccinates (0.44) than for nonvaccinates (0.23, p =3D 0.044) on=20
> colonies without flea control, but vaccination had no detectable=20
> effect on colonies with flea control (vaccinates =3D 0.41,=20
> nonvaccinates =3D 0.42, p =3D 0.754). Flea control resulted in higher =
> reencounter rates for nonvaccinates (p =3D 0.026), but not for=20
> vaccinates (p =3D 0.508). The enhancement of survival due to=20
> vaccination or flea control supports the hypothesis that enzootic=20
> plague reduces ferret survival, even when there was no noticeable=20
> decline in prairie dog abundance. The collective effects of=20
> vaccination and flea control compel a conclusion that fleas are=20
> required for maintenance, and probably transmission, of plague at=20
> enzootic levels. Other studies have demonstrated similar effects of=20
> flea control on several species of prairie dogs and, when combined=20
> with this study, suggest that the effects of enzootic plague are=20
> widespread. Finally, we demonstrated that the experimental F1-V=20
> fusion protein vaccine provides protection to ferrets in the wild.
> PMID: 20158329
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
HAPPY: http://www.6footsix.com/my_weblog/2010/01/high-fives-for-happiness.=
html
"All hail the procrastinators for they shall rule the world tomorrow."
(2010, Steve Crandall)
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