It has some to my attention that some who have been lucky and have not
run into one of the coccidia mutants do not grasp what can happen with
the nasty mutants.

Every once in a while coccidia throws a variant which has the chance
of killing a huge number of ferrets.  You should have seen Dr. Bruce
Williams scrambling with the pathology and others with the epidemiology
the first time such a variant appeared.  It was a very scary time.  A LOT
of ferrets died of that one because the blooms of the parasite would be
simultaneous, with the result that the ferrets would bleed out, and there
is no way to predict that or deal with it when it occurs, and because
quarantines were not used for the first few weeks until people finally
were frightened enough to take it seriously.

With some diseases like ECE variants are rare to non-existent (in
fact, only one version of the ECE causing coronavirus has been found
in genetic studies of that virus), but coccidia is very good at
periodically having some incredibly nasty versions.  People who have
not been through one or haven't helped find help during one don't
know that and can innocently and naively not realize how bad some
versions are.  Hopefully, they will always be so lucky, but for the
future will know that not everyone is that fortunate.
---

A new ECE abstract to enjoy:

Virology. 2006 May 25;349(1):164-74. Epub 2006 Feb 24.

Molecular characterization of a novel coronavirus associated with
epizootic catarrhal enteritis (ECE) in ferrets.

Wise AG, Kiupel M, Maes RK.

Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health, Rm. 136E, 4125
Beaumont Road, Lansing, MI 48909, USA; Michigan State University,
East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.

A novel coronavirus, designated as ferret enteric coronavirus
(FECV), was identified in feces of domestic ferrets clinically
diagnosed with epizootic catarrhal enteritis (ECE). Initially,
partial sequences of the polymerase, spike, membrane protein, and
nucleocapsid genes were generated using coronavirus consensus PCR
assays. Subsequently, the complete sequences of the nucleocapsid
gene and the last two open reading frames at the 3' terminus of the
FECV genome were obtained. Phylogenetic analyses based on predicted
partial amino acid sequences of the polymerase, spike, and membrane
proteins, and full sequence of the nucleocapsid protein showed that
FECV is genetically most closely related to group 1 coronaviruses.
FECV is more similar to feline coronavirus, porcine transmissible
gastroenteritis virus, and canine coronavirus than to porcine
epidemic diarrhea virus and human coronavirus 229E. Molecular data
presented in this study provide the first genetic evidence for a
new coronavirus associated with clinical cases of ECE.

PMID: 16499943 [PubMed - in process]

Also, some will have noticed that those involved with a study in
Europe have issued a preliminary report which may wind up being this
coronavirus or could be something else.  I have been in communication
with one of the researchers, and am curious about reading what they
wind up finding when further work is done and they issue a new report
for all.


-- Sukie (not a vet, and not speaking for any of the below in my
private posts)
Recommended health resources to help ferrets and the people who love
them:
Ferret Health List
http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/ferrethealth
FHL Archives
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
AFIP Ferret Pathology
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html
Miamiferrets
http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/
International Ferret Congress Critical References
http://www.ferretcongress.org
[Posted in FML issue 5267]