I don't know if non-subscribers can open this immediately. If not, then wait a week or so and try again. <http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/332103/title/News_in_Brief_Genes_%2B_Cells> In relation to those three topics: Ferrets get E. coli poisoning and also get the kidney syndrome that shiga toxin producing strains of E. coli can cause. That includes some BFFs in addition to domestic ferrets lost to the poisoning or later to the kidney problems. (E. coli is typically originally from cattle intestines or their waste, or from something like water or equipment contaminated by infected waste.) The information on the length of the telemeres in pancreatic malignancies may also have implications for better understanding at least some types of pancreatic growths in ferrets. Dr. Bob Wagner has already found that p53 loss can be found in some ferrets, too. 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/ http://www.ferrethealth.msu.edu/ http://www.ferretcongress.org/ http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml http://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) On change for its own sake: "You can go really fast if you just jump off the cliff." (2010, Steve Crandall) [Posted in FML 7111]