>It's time for a new step in ADV+ homes.  ADV viral need to be separated
>from ADV antibody positive.  They should not be comingled.
>
>Give me your thoughts.
 
Someone sent to above to me in a personal email.  I decided that rather
then just answer the person who sent it, I would send my thoughts on this
subject to this list - after all, you all know how opinionated I am on
the subject of ADV.
 
So, what follows are some of those opinions.  And, while they are based
on my almost 4 years of experience of living with ADV, they are just
opinions.  There is so much that we still aren't sure of where ADV is
concerned, and so much more that needs to be studied and learned about it.
 
Not all ferrets that have ADV shed the virus all the time - that is a
known fact.  Some may never shed it, but it is hard to know when they are
in a contagious state and when they aren't.  There is a blood test that
can be done - a PCR test - that tests for the presence of the viral DNA.
But this time there is no commercial lab in the US that is doing this
test.  The U of GA will run PCR tests on samples sent to them, but by the
time you get the results, the status of the ferret may have changed.
After all, the test is only an indicator of the status at the moment the
blood was drawn.
 
Those of you who attended the Symposium 2002 in Las Vegas heard Dr.
Stevenson's talk on ADV.  The subject of her case study was my Moonshine.
For a period of 18 months, we sent monthly blood, urine and fecal samples
to the U of GA for testing.  And, while he frequently had positive PCR
test results, he did have some negative PCR results, too.  In other
words, he had periods where the virus was present in his blood, urine and
feces, and periods where it was not.
 
Since there is currently no way to tell if an ADV+ ferret is shedding
just by physical examination, or by tests that can be run in the vet's
office, and since a ferret can go back and forth between shedding and not
shedding, the idea of separating ADV+ ferrets that are shedding from ADV+
ferrets that are not (ferrets that are positive for ADV antibodies but
not for the viral DNA) makes no real sense.  Instead, until there are
better tests that can be run on the spot, it is best to treat all ADV+
ferrets as though they were shedding.  While most of my ferrets have not
had long periods of shedding the virus the way Moonshine did, almost all
of them have had at least one positive PCR test result.  Hershey, the
ferret who was the sickest from ADV never had a positive PCR test until
the very end.  Moonshine remained in great health during the 18 month
period where we were testing him monthly.  That should give you some idea
of how hard it is to know who is and who isn't shedding.
 
The next question is, should people with ADV+ ferrets adopt negative
ferrets?
 
Many shelters will only adopt ferrets to people who can prove that any
ferrets they already have are ADV-.  This is probably a good idea for
several reasons.  First, since the shelter may end up having the adopted
ferret returned, they want to insure that the chances of the ferret being
exposed to ADV are minimal.  That is the practical reason for the rule.
But there are other reasons, too.
 
I will not say whether it is right or wrong, because I am not really sure
myself, but the biggest question is, is it fair to possibly subject a
ferret that is ADV- to ADV.  We know that some ferrets appear to have a
natural immunity to ADV, but so far, there is no way of determining which
ferrets those are.  Also, many ferrets that are ADV+ do not get sick from
it, and live out normal lives eventually dying from something else.
Again, though, we have no way of predicting which ferrets those are.
 
So, I feel it is a moral question each person has to answer for
themselves.  For now, my decision is that I will not take in any more
ferrets unless they are ADV+ or are negative, but have been living with
positive ferrets.  I can't promise that I won't change my mind on this
tomorrow - as I have been very tempted in the past.  But for now, that is
where I stand.
 
Some people raise the question of maintaining both positive and negative
ferret population in the same house, and keeping them separated.  Some
shelters are already doing this, some perhaps more successfully then
others.  I know that Julie Fossa and Kris and Mary Mewton have done this
for more then a few years, with no outside contagion.  But, it is a very
difficult thing to do, and something most owners probably don't want to
try.
 
We don't know exactly how the virus can be transmitted, or how easily it
is transmitted.  We do know that in order for the virus to be spread, it
must have a way of getting outside of the host ferret's body, and so it
is most likely transmitted via bodily fluids, to include blood, urine,
saliva and feces.  We also know that it is a very hardy virus, and can
live for extended periods outside of a host's body.  The big question is,
how easy is it for a ferret to catch it.  Will one piece of virus cause
a ferret to become ADV+, or does there need to be a more concentrated
amount of the virus.  If it takes very little of the virus, then keeping
separate populations in the same house can be difficult, especially since
most homes have one central air handling system.
 
Here is an example of what I mean.  Many ferret owners use wood stove
pellets as litter.  When the pellets become wet, they turn to sawdust.
So, if a ferret who is positive and shedding urinates on the pellets,
there is now sawdust that might contain the virus.  Some of the dust
could get into the air, and could be carried via the air handling system
into another part of the house.  Can it really be transmitted this way?
I don't know.  I don't know if anyone knows.  But, why take the chance?
The same is true of clothing, especially shoes.  We don't know that it
can be transmitted that easily, but we also don't know that it can't.
Most of the researchers say that transmission most likely occurs from
direct contact with an infected ferret, or with direct contact with
bodily fluids from and infected ferret.  But how much of the bodily fluid
is necessary to cause the virus to spread - that is an unknown.
 
So, those are some of my thoughts on the subject.  I would certainly
enjoy hearing from others, who might also have experience, and even those
who don't.  Those of you who run a shelter with a mixed population may
want to let us know what precautions you take to keep the ADV- ferrets
safe.
 
--
Danee
ADV - If your ferret hasn't been tested, you don't know!
For more information visit: http://www.geocities.com/russiansmom
To find out how you can help visit:
http://www.geocities.com/help4adv/index.htm
[Posted in FML issue 4225]