What kind of a leap was that? A fur farm with 15,000 animals lost an
average of 10 animals per day (for how many days? - UNKNOWN). 6 dead
kits all 6 months old submitted for evaluation and found to have
expired from hemorrhagic bronchointerstitial pneumonia. The bacteria:
Hemolytic Escherichia coli was found in their lungs and THIS was what
the lab attributed to the mink kits deaths from pneumonia.

FLUAV (Flu A Virus) is a naturally occurring virus - that as the
abstract said - usually stays within the species it originally infects,
but CAN cross contaminate companion and wild animals. Ferrets are well
known to be susceptible to FLU viruses. But the abstract doesn't say
the FLUAV is what killed the mink. Pneumonia from E. Coli did.

The WHO (World Health Organization) has this to say:
http://www.who.int/zoonoses/diseases/animal_influenza/en/index.html
"Influenza is a disease common to man and a limited number of lower
animal species mainly horses, pigs, domestic and wild birds, wild
aquatic mammals such as seals and whales, minks and farmed carnivores;
and "Influenza type A is distributed worldwide and usually causes a
mild respiratory disease in humans and animals."

How is it that a worldwide common virus is now a danger if feeding raw
food to our ferrets? The comment about uncooked turkey being fed to
those mink is very vague - they didn't say there was any certainty of
the FLU A Virus being IN the raw turkey. Their term used was "appeared
to be the source" - the raw turkey would be more apt to be the source
of the E. coli? The E. Coli which caused the pneumonia? There were no
other factors explained in the deaths of the mink - the condition of
the raw turkey, the mink's nutrition, body weight, cage stress, new
animal introductions, vaccination stress (if any), weather conditions,
shelter conditions etc. All would be factors influencing how the
animals immune systems would be able to fend off the virus and the
bacteria.

Since this virus is a worldwide common virus - does that translate
to all these species are eating raw meats? I highly doubt it! Any
successful viral infection is the result of a compromised immune
system. Either the infected organism's immune system is already
weakened or hasn't had exposure to manufacture antibodies yet. The
relative health of the animal, age, medicinal and nutritional support
it gets is usually what brings the infection under control. Take a
look at a typical mink farm set up:
http://www.indymedia.ie/attachments/sep2009/3minks_in_cage_with_slop_on_top3848989484_894bf2defc_b.jpg><

Its not likely these mink got ANY kind of medicinal or supportive
therapies. At the rate of 10 per day out of 15,000 that's about
 .0006667 percent loss! Losses from insulinoma are MUCH higher than
that in any home with multiple ferrets! Were the 6 kits submitted for
testing all from the same litter? UNKNOWN! There are way too many
variables and unknowns in this scene to make the leap that feeding
raw meat harbors flu virus!

Definite FAIL for that abstract!

Cheers,
Kim

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[Posted in FML 7359]