Recall for E. coli contamination:
about 100,00 pounds of frozen hamburger patties which were produced
between April and May 2006 by Richwood Meat. The recalled beef is
found in hamburger patties and ground beef sold under the brands
Fireriver, Chef's Pride, Ritz Food, Blackwood Farms, California
Pacific Associates, C&C Distributing, Golbon and Richwood. The
strain has not yet been identified.

Besides sickening and sometimes killing humans, E. coli can kill
ferrets (including BFFs), especially the nastier strains of the
bacterium, and at least some strains can cause permanent kidney
damage in a large portion of surviving ferrets.

Examples of some of the existing studies:
BEGIN QUOTES
Woods, J.B., C.K. Schmitt, S.C. Darnell, K.C. Meysick, and A.
O'Brien (2002). Ferrets as a model system for renal disease
secondary to intestinal infection with Escherichia coli O157:H7
and other Shiga toxin-producing E. coli. Journal of Infectious
Diseases 185(4): 550-554. ISSN: 0022-1899.
NAL Call Number: 448.8 J821
Abstract: Ferrets were evaluated as a possible small animal model
for the development of colitis and/or signs of the hemolytic uremic
syndrome after oral infection with Escherichia coli O157:H7 or
other Shiga toxin--producing E. coli (STEC). Ferrets treated with
streptomycin (Stm) had higher counts of E. coli O157:H7 strain 86-24
Stm-resistant (Stm(r)) or O91:H21 strain B2F1 Stm(r) in their stools
than non--Stm-treated animals. None of the animals displayed evidence
of colitis, but Stm- treated animals fed strain 86-24 Stm(r) exhibited
weight loss significantly greater than that exhibited by ferrets fed an
isogenic mutant negative for the adhesin intimin. Moreover, 11 (23%)
of the 47 Stm-treated ferrets inoculated with 86-24 Stm(r) or B2F1
Stm(r) developed hematuria and/or histological damage to glomeruli or
thrombocytopenia, compared with 0 of 14 uninfected control animals
receiving Stm in water. Thus, the ferret may serve as a model for
renal disease secondary to intestinal infection with STEC.

Descriptors: ferrets, animal disease models, Escherichia coli
infections, Escherichia coli o157 pathogenicity, Escherichia coli
proteins, intestinal diseases, kidney diseases, shiga toxin,
intestinal diseases, streptomycin

J Clin Microbiol. 2004 Dec;42(12):5904-8.
Characterization of hemolytic Escherichia coli strains in ferrets:
recognition of candidate virulence factor CNF1.

Marini RP, Taylor NS, Liang AY, Knox KA, Pena JA, Schauer DB, Fox JG.
Division of Comparative Medicine, Massachusetts Institute of  
Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.

Diseases associated with Escherichia coli infection are the subject of
renewed interest due to emerging conditions such as hemolytic uremia
syndrome. A collection of 15 strains of beta-hemolytic E. coli was
isolated from diarrheic feces and diseased tissues of ferrets. All 15
strains were positive in specific PCR assays for the presence of hlyA,
pap1, and cnf1. Seven of the cnf1-positive isolates were tested and
shown to have a cytopathic effect on HeLa cell monolayers. The
pathogenesis of these strains warrants future study.
PMID: 15583337 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

J Wildl Dis. 2001 Jul;37(3):617-20.
Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli infection in captive black-footed
ferrets.

Bradley GA, Orr K, Reggiardo C, Glock RD.
Department of Veterinary Science and Microbiology, The University of
Arizona, Tucson 85705, USA. [log in to unmask]

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli with genes for heat stabile toxins
Sta and STb was isolated from the gastrointestinal tract and multiple
visceral organs of three adult and three juvenile black-footed ferrets
(Mustela nigripes) that died in a captive breeding colony between 24
May 1998 and 2 July 1998. Similar isolates were obtained from rectal
swabs of one adult and one juvenile that were clinically ill. All were
fed a diet composed of mink chow, raw rabbit meat, beef liver powder,
blood meal and lard. Escherichia coli of the same toxin genotype was
isolated from the mixed ration. Clinical signs included sudden death,
dehydration, anorexia and diarrhea. Necropsy lesions included acute
enteritis with large numbers of rod shaped bacteria microscopically
visible on intestinal villi.
PMID: 11504237 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
END QUOTES

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/fhc/
http://www.ferretcongress.org/
http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml
http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html

[Posted in FML 5585]