To Bill Jameson:
 
>Anyway, my question is about humans passing on the virus after their ferret
>is over it.  I know that Oliver is a carrier for life and should stay away
>from other ferrets.  What about me?  Can I pet or handle a ferret and pass
>on the virus now that it seems to have gone dormant in my ferret?
 
        Yes, you can pass it to a naive ferret on your hands or clothes, but
the longer it has been since your ferret was clinically ill, the smaller the
chance that you will come in contact with it.  Now, we don't know they will
be affected for life, yet.  But we do know they continue to shed the virus
in small amounts for as long as six months, and most likely longer.
 
        That doesn't mean that you should isolate yourself from all other
ferrets.  Simply use some common sense - wash your hands after handling your
ferret, and change clothes before you will be around other ferrets if you
have recently handled Oliver.  Then you should have no problems....
 
Bruce H. Williams, DVM         Dept. of Veterinary Pathology
Chief Pathologist, AccuPath    Armed Forces Institute of Pathology
[log in to unmask]         Washington, D.C.  20306-6000
                               [log in to unmask]
[Posted in FML issue 1224]