All,
 
I just received word from the Maryland ferret group that the young kit
involved in the bite case that I posted about earlier this week is still
alive and well.  The Maryland Department of Public Health was reported to
have received over 1000 phone calls asking them to reconsider killing the kit
after all of this time.  Some of the phone calls were from as far away as
Brazil and Alaska.  If nothing else, they know that the world is watching and
judging them.
 
Tomorrow appears to be "The" day.  The owner of the ferret is scheduled for a
hearing to determine if the ferret is to be killed or allowed to live.  I've
been told by those involved that people are flying in from all over the
country to testify.  For those interested in references:
 
In the late 1970's, U  Forster, Paul Erlich Institute in Germany, selected
the ferret study the adaptibility of a rodent-strain rabies virus in domestic
and wild species.  He tested 36 ferrets in all, infecting them with a
vole-derived rabies virus. ["The Adaptability of Two Rabies Virus Strains
Isolated in Central Europe to one Domesticated and two Wild-living Species.
 A Contribution to the Epidemiology of Rabies; Part 4: Transmission Studies
on Ferrets with a Rodent isolate"' NIH Library Translation NIH-92-26; Zbl Vet
Med B; 1979; 26:26-38]
 
 Forster found:
 
 *The minimum lethal dose was very high (680,000 times the dose required to
kill 50% of mice - referred to as LD50) while the mean dosage required to
kill 50% of the ferrets was found to be 3 million LD50.
 
 *Only one of the animals was found to have slight amounts of the virus
present in its salivary glands.  This ferret had been symptomatic for 5 days
and was already exhibiting death convulsions when it was killed and tested
for the virus.  The amount was so small that only one of five mice injected
with a solution made from the saliva died of the disease.
 
 *The mean incubation time was very short at 4.2 days; with a total range of
from 3 to 5 days.
 
 *The disease duration was an average of 3.4 days from onset of symptoms to
death; with a total range of 1 to 6 days.
 
 *Symptoms consisted of confusion and in coordination, later followed by
spasms which extended over the entire body.  In some cases grinding of the
teeth, excessive salivation and labored breathing were observed.
 
 *None of the animals exhibited aggressive behavior.
 
 
 Note that the ferret has attacked the virus in all three areas required for
transmitting the disease.  It proved to be relatively immune; exhibited only
the dumb form of the disease so did not bite; and did not shed the virus in
its saliva to any biologically significant extent.
 
 
 J.  Blancou, M. Aubert, and M. Artois from the French National Institute for
the Study of Rabies obtained a research grant in the early 1980's to study
rabies in the ferret.  ["Experimental Rabies in the Ferret; Susceptibility,
Symptoms, Excretion of the Virus"; NIH Library Translation; NIH 91-444; Rev
Med Vet 1982; 133(8-9):553-557]
 
 The experimenters used a "wild" strain of the rabies virus derived from the
salivary glands of naturally rabid fox.  Forty ferrets were tested with this
virus.  Of these 40, 11 died of the disease.
 
 Their results showed:
 
 *Ferrets showed a strong natural immunity to the virus- 50,000 times less
susceptible than the fox, and 300 times less susceptible than the hare.
 
 *All of the infected ferrets exhibited the "Dumb" form of the disease and
could not be provoked to bite.  Symptoms included restlessness, apathy, and
in some cases paralaysis of the hindquarters.
 
 *None of the infected ferrets had the virus present in their salavary
glands.
 
 *The time from onset of symptoms until death varied from 2 to 7 days  (Of
the 11 that died: 4 died after 2 days, 2 after 4 days, 3 after 5 days, and 2
after 6 and 7 days.)
 
 The researchers concluded that the ferret and consequently the Polecat was
"a dead-end" for the virus.  These results closely mirrored those of Forster
even though a different strain of rabies was used.
 
For those of you who wish to call again to support the ferret kit, the Public
Health official who I'm told is still determined to kill the kit is Dr.  Jack
Grigor, and his (correct phone number is (410) 225-6711.
 
Dick Bossart
[Posted in FML issue 1080]