I decided to catch up on a fortnight's worth of FML...a few infectious
disease threads to comment on.
 
Testsuro Oka (FML #1816) asked about information on clarithromycin.  Dr.
Dutton gave the basic info.  I would add that clarithromycin is related to
azithromycin and erythromycin.  The latter drug has been around for a long
while and most people have heard of it.  The newer versions of it,
azithromycin (Zithromax in the US) and clarithromycin (Biaxin) don't
irritate the gut the way erythromycin does.  Most Western drug companies
contract with Japanese companies to produce or distribute drugs in Japan, so
the manufacturers may be different in Japan...probably the brand names, too.
BTW, the CAS registry number for clarithromycin is: 81103-11-9.
 
Kelly White (FML #1821) mentioned she had scarlet fever and asked whether
her ferrets could get it.  Kelly is correct that the same bacteria causes
strep throat and scarlet fever.  The offending bug is "Group A Strep" or
Streptococcus pyogenes.  It can also cause rheumatic fever and can attack
the kidneys or the valves of the heart.  Usually it just causes strep
throat, which can clear up by itself (not always, of course) and is gone in
a few weeks or less with treatment.  The Group A strep that cause scarlet or
rheumatic fever are variant forms of the bacteria that produce a
fever-causing toxin.  No one really knows why some people go on to develop
scarlet fever or why the rate of scarlet fever has declined so dramatically
since the beginning of the century.  In a small number of people with strep
(5% or less), the bacteria can chronically infect the airways.  Staph can do
this, too.  Carriers can pass the strep to others, and presumably ferrets,
too, without appearing ill themselves.
 
Regina Harrison (FML #1818) asked about vaccine reactions.  Reactions can
occur following an initial exposure to an antigen, like a vaccine.  A
reaction cannot occur the first time a ferret is vaccinated, however, many
ferrets are vaccinated against distemper before leaving breeders or shelters
so it's likely that many kits have already been exposed.  A true vaccine
reaction will occur as an immediate reaction (usually within the first hour)
or as a delayed reaction that shows up several hours or a day later.
Delayed reactions are rarer.  Dick Bossart has reported some which Dr.
Dutton has investigated but almost all true reactions occur in the first
hour after reexposure to an antigen if it's going to happen at all.  Here's
the catch...many vaccines cause mild flu-like symptoms after being injected.
This happens when the body "sees" a potential infection (the vaccine) and
starts signalling the immune cells to rally to the defense.  The subsequent
release of immune signals--known as cytokines--causes the crummy achy,
hot-and-cold, knock-you-on-your-butt feeling you know from the flu.  (Yes,
it's your own body's chemicals making you feel that way, not the virus
itself.) Ferrets vaccinated with attenuated live viruses (like Fervac) and
killed viruses (like Imrab) can develop lethargy, chills, loss of appetite
and other flu-like symptoms perhaps 12-36 hours after being vaccinated.
This means their body is reacting to the antigen to produce antibodies,
which is what you *want* a vaccine to do.  These late vaccine reactions
should be observed closely and you certainly can seek your vet's advice but
most of these late symptoms are inappropriately called "allergic" reactions.
They're not.
 
Trinlay Khadro (FML #1817) asked about folic acid supplements to prevent
neural tube defects in ferrets.  The neural tube closes early in development
and folic acid has been shown to reduce the rate of NT defects in humans.
Since we are not much different from any other mammals in terms of spinal
development, I'd expect the same holds true for ferrets.  However, folic
acid supplementation must be started *before* conception since NT
development takes place early on.
 
Finally, Alicia Drakiotes (FML #1821) provided info on pancreatic tumors.
One addition I would make is that the association between dietary sugar
(e.g., treats) and pancreatic disease has never been established in rigidly
controlled studies.  The long-held belief that too much sugar causes
diabetes is unfounded.  The opposite scenario in ferrets -- insulinoma --
probably holds true as well.  Pancreatic tumors could result from a variety
of causes, including hormone stimulation, genetic defects or even viruses.
Dietary sugar would be low on the list of likely suspects.  No one really
knows yet why ferrets are prone to insulinoma, or what triggers it in one
but not another.
 
--Jeff Johnston ([log in to unmask])
[Posted in FML issue 1826]