Message Number: FHL14232 | New FHL Archives Search
From: Sukie Crandall
Date: 2011-10-28 05:19:14 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] credit where credit is due: on ferrets getting sufficient vitamin A and how that helps fight CDV
To: fhl <ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com>, FML List <ferret-l@LISTSERV.FERRETMAILINGLIST.ORG>

I had a nagging recollection that the concept that ferret tend to need more Vitamin A in their diets than they usually get these days (not only in many pre-made diets but also in many homemade diets) and i thought that i knew who had said it but with all the family needs in recent years I hadn't had time to search it out.

So, first the abstract and article URL which bears out that hypothesis, and then the URLs of the posts where I'd run into the concept years ago and thought about it. You will notice that the person is one with whom I sometimes disagree (and vice versa), and that is fine. As an excellent prof once said, "It is not important that you agree with me. What is important is that you have enough respect and courtesy to actually think about what I am saying." In this case I did not agree or disagree with the hypothesis. There was not enough data, but it was an intriguing hypothesis so it is cool that it panned out and he got it right.

> J Nutr. 2007 Aug;137(8):1916-22.
> Disease manifestations of canine distemper virus infection in ferrets are modulated by vitamin A status.
> Rodeheffer C, von Messling V, Milot S, Lepine F, Manges AR, Ward BJ.
> Source
> McGill University Health Centre Research Institute, Faculty of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Montreal General Hospital, Montreal, QC, Canada.
> Abstract
> The measles virus (MV) causes half a million childhood deaths annually. Vitamin A supplements significantly reduce measles-associated mortality and morbidity. The mechanisms whereby vitamin A acts against MV are not understood and currently there is no satisfactory small animal model for MV infection. We report on the development of a ferret model to study antiviral activity of vitamin A against canine distemper virus (CDV). CDV is closely related to MV at the molecular level anddistemper in ferrets mimics measles in humans. We infected vitamin A-replete (control) and vitamin A-depleted ferrets with CDV and assessed the ability of high-dosevitamin A supplements to influence CDV disease. In control ferrets, CDV infection caused fever, rash, conjunctivitis, cough, coryza, and diarrhea. In contrast, controlferrets that were given 30 mg of vitamin A did not develop typical distemper after infection and exhibited only a mild rash. The supplement did not negatively affect ferrethealth and resulted in a 100% increase in serum and liver vitamin A concentrations. We also found that profound vitamin A deficiency is inducible in ferrets and can be rapidly reversed upon high-dose vitamin A supplementation. Vitamin A deficiency caused anorexia, diarrhea, cataracts, behavioral abnormalities, and ultimately death, with or without CDV infection. All ferrets that received vitamin A supplements, however, recovered uneventfully from CDV infection. These results replicate many aspects of the observations of vitamin A therapy in humans with measles and suggest that CDV infection in ferrets is an appropriate model for the study of the antiviral mechanism of vitamin A.
>
> PMID: 17634264 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] Free full text

http://jn.nutrition.org/content/137/8/1916.long

And here are 2002 mentions of the hypothesis that too many ferrets these days MIGHT not be getting enough vitamin A in their diets (though unlikely to be little enough to cause acute problems, but maybe low enough to cause the nagging problems related to chronic low levels) and there are some studies you can find through PubMed indicating that homemade diets like commercial ones for pets might too often be too inclined to be too low in vitamin A. So, anyway, see what Bob Church hypothesized in 2002 (5 years before the publication quoted above):

http://ferrethealth.org/archive/YG14166

http://ferrethealth.org/archive/SG253

http://ferrethealth.org/archive/SG254

http://ferrethealth.org/archive/SG258

http://ferrethealth.org/archive/SG260

In the literature you will find additional things learned since those posts about vitamin A including that ferrets might not utilize all of the precursors all that well. Over time evidence grows through careful study, and more is learned. Such is life.



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

"All hail the procrastinators for they shall rule the world tomorrow."
(2010, Steve Crandall)
On change for its own sake: "You can go really fast if you just jump off the cliff."
(2010, Steve Crandall)


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