A major salmonella outbreak is occurring in Denmark with over 4,000
people sick and ferrets DO get salmonella (and it can kill some) though
they are usually less seriously affected than humans. (When inspection
cutbacks due to repeatedly reduced budgets happened in the U.S. meats
and poultry (and I think eggs) were where the remaining inspectors were
focused -- before public outcry helped pressure for better funding and
a return of at least some inspectors -- because those food are the most
common cause of serious outbreaks).

Salmonella is killed by cooking and you should wash your hands and any
surfaces used for food preparation very well.

<http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1819755,00.html?xid=feed-yahoo-healthsci>

>Danish health officials fear more than 4,000 people may be infected
>with salmonella
> ...
>330 cases have been confirmed and about a quarter of those people have
>been hospitalized
> ...
>officials at the government's center for prevention and control of
>infectious diseases say the real number probably exceeds 4,000 people.
> ...
>probably is meat, but they do not know which product.
> ...
>about 30 new cases are confirmed per day. "We fear it will continue
>at this pace," said Moelbak. He said it was difficult to predict the
>course of such outbreaks, but that there was no indication it would
>stop soon.
>
>Salmonella is seldom fatal among healthy adults, but can cause
>diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, fever and headaches. The
>outbreak was of Salmonella typhimurium U292, a fairly rare type of the
>roughly 2,500 kinds of salmonella.

There are actually some types of food poisoning which are usually more
serious for ferrets, but this is huge outbreak and it's a type of
illness which is avoidable:

http://www.cdc.gov/nczved/dfbmd/disease_listing/salmonellosis_gi.html

includes
>What can I do to prevent salmonellosis?
>
>Cook poultry, ground beef, and eggs thoroughly. Do not eat or drink
>foods containing raw eggs, or raw (unpasteurized) milk. If you are
>served undercooked meat, poultry or eggs in a restaurant, don't
>hesitate to send it back to the kitchen for further cooking.
>
>Wash hands, kitchen work surfaces, and utensils with soap and water
>immediately after they have been in contact with raw meat or poultry.
>
>Be particularly careful with foods prepared for infants, the elderly,
>and the immunocompromised.
>
>Wash hands with soap after handling reptiles, birds, or baby chicks,
>and after contact with pet feces.
>
>Avoid direct or even indirect contact between reptiles (turtles,
>iguanas, other lizards, snakes) and infants or immunocompromised
>persons.
>
>Don't work with raw poultry or meat, and an infant (e.g., feed, change
>diaper) at the same time.
>
>Mother's milk is the safest food for young infants. Breastfeeding 
>prevents salmonellosis and many other health problems.

If you know people in Denmark who are currently feeding raw foods,
please, make sure they know about this outbreak and how to avoid
infection.

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 6021]