I forwarded some of the most recent posts on to Dr. Stevenson and asked if
she would like to reply.  She asked me to post the following:
 
"The members of the Ferret ADV Research Group at the University of Georgia
are committed to compassionate science.  During the development of
diagnostic assays for ADV in ferrets, we plan to use body fluid samples
donated by interested ferret owners.  We do not recommend, however,
anesthesia for blood sampling in ill ferrets merely for the purpose of
our testing.  If serum or urine samples are required by the sick ferret's
regular veterinarian for the purposes of deciding on appropriate clinical
treatment, then we appreciate receiving a small portion (100-500
microliters) of the sample for our testing purposes.  Additionally, any
ferret owners whose pet ferrets die or are euthanatized due to possible
ADV and have a necropsy examination done by their regular veterinarian are
welcome to donate tissues such as lymph nodes and liver.  We will test
these tissues for the presence of ADV viral DNA.  Any parties interested
in donating to these efforts are welcome to send checks to The University
Foundation ear-marked for the Ferret ADV Research Group and for research
NOT involving EXPERIMENTALLY infected ferrets.
 
The development of a vaccine is primarily done by manipulating proteins and
DNA in the laboratory.  That part does not involve animals.  However, at
some point, potential vaccines must be tested for efficacy in the species
for whom they are intended.  At this point, ferrets would be vaccinated
and then challenged with virus to see if the vaccine protected them from
disease.  We can certainly understand that some people may feel ill at ease
with these types of studies.  We feel it is necessary to test vaccines
carefully in order to protect pet ferrets the best we can from problems
such as the reactions seen with the distemper vaccine.  Since we understand
that some ferret enthusiasts may not want their donations to fund these
studies, we are happy (as mentioned above) to receive ear-marked
donations that will go into a separate account for studies not involving
experimentally infected animals.  We hope that those folks who want to
see a serious attempt made at developing a vaccine will consider their
donations being used for this purpose, but it is definitely not a
requirement for participating in the fight against ADV.
 
As Danee DeVore pointed out in an earlier posting, use of donations made to
the University of Georgia Ferret ADV Research Group are not governed by a
ruling body.  Decisions concerning appropriate use of the research funds
are made by Dr. Ritchie and me.  We both have experience practicing
veterinary medicine (as well as doing research), and I continue to practice
small animal general surgery at UGA.  We both make our patients and their
owners our priorities.  Our work is driven by our desire to help ferrets.
I can assure anyone that our decisions about spending research dollars are
made thoughtfully and carefully.  We are also very supportive of the AFA
ADV fund as the projects that fund will ultimately finance are projects
that will benefit ferrets.  We encourage ferret enthusiasts to be generous
in giving to the ADV effort with which they feel most comfortable.  We are
all striving for the same goals.
 
Further questions about donations can be directed to Dr. M. A. Stevenson
([log in to unmask])."
[Posted in FML issue 3193]