To Sibretz K:
>Is it possible for a ferret to give another animal toxoplasmosis? Are there
>any cases involving ferrets giving the disease to humans or other animals?
>Does anyone know if ferrets and wallabies get along?
 
As far as I know, ferrets have not been documented as transmitting
toxoplasmosis.  To date, the only animals that can complete the protozoa's
life cycle and transmit it in the feces are cats.  This is why pregnant
women should not change litters, and cats should not "go" in the kid's sand
box.  Toxoplasmosis can also be obtained by eating the flesh of infected
animals (why rarely people can get Toxo from uncooked beef).
 
Now I'm not sure if ferrets get along with wallabies, but I do know that
wallabies are EXTREMELY susceptible to Toxo, like the other marsupials.
Toxo is a big cause of death in many zoos, where feral cats are not
uncommon, and who often go to the bathroom in the exhbits.  Watch out for
those cats in more ways than one!!!
 
Bruce Williams, DVM, DACVP              Chief Pathologist, AccuPath
Dept. of Veterinary Pathology               [log in to unmask]
Armed Forces Institute of Pathology
[log in to unmask]
[Posted in FML issue 1519]