It is true that multiple news articles are saying that ferrets get C.
gattii, that that may be where the truth runs into a wall. What I have
not been able to find is any proof that ferrets actually have been
recorded getting that species of fungus. They have been recorded with
some species of Cryptococcus, but that simply means that they might or
might not be able to also get this species. So, true that the news has
been reporting that they can, BUT perhaps not necessarily true that
ferrets actually get this species of Cryptococcus. Ask the news sources
what they are using to support that claim in relation to this specific
species (not just the genus in general), please.
BTW, this is an incredibly rare disease in people in the NW right now,
and while this species was thought to be derived from two Australian
variants of this species there is evidence that it might originally
be from northern South America.
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.htmlhttp://www.miamiferret.org/http://www.ferrethealth.msu.edu/http://www.ferretcongress.org/http://www.trifl.org/index.shtmlhttp://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html
all ferret topics:
http://listserv.ferretmailinglist.org/archives/ferret-search.html
"All hail the procrastinators for they shall rule the world tomorrow."
(2010, Steve Crandall)
[Posted in FML 6770]
