Dear Jen:
 
>Hello All ferret people out there!  I need some help.  Ii have two ferrets
>who have already had ECE and they have gotten over it just fine... But,
>My brother and his wife have gotten two babies of thier own... They are
>coming to visit in a few months and I wanted to know If they could contract
>the disease... It's very important that I know this so if we put them
>together I don't want them to get sick.
 
In a word - yes.  The shedding time is around 6-8 months, and they will
shed it even if they look perfectly healthy.
 
There is a possibility however, that your brother's ferrets have also had
ECE.  However if you can't establish whether they have or not, and your
ferrets had it fairly recently, it's probably a good idea not to get them
together.
 
With kindest regards,
Bruce Williams, DVM
[Posted in FML issue 3303]