http://www.smartgroups.com/message/readmessage.cfm?gid=1423922
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FHL'ers
 
Last week, I collaborated on a site for human pathologists on monkeypox
(http://www.afip.org/Departments/infectious/mp/index.html).
 
While the CDC (and most non-veterinarians) often take a very wide stance,
there is no evidence, in over 30 years of monkeypox literature, of
infection or transmission of the disease by animals other than monkeys
(the natural host) and rodents (the natural reservoir).
 
The chance of a ferret transmitting this disease, in my opinion, is
negligible - I would hate to see the natural suspicion of physicians
become widespread in the ferret-owning community, so take the CDC site
with a grain of salt.
 
With kindest regards,
Bruce Williams, DVM
 
[Sukie note: as you see there is good reason for mentioning that this
is matter of them playing "better safe than sorry", but also mentioning
that there is no indication of other mammalian orders than Rodentia or
Primates getting it -- hence the confusion that exists...]
[Posted in FML issue 4202]