Hi all--I've been sequestered away working on various papers but have been
reading the FML.  A brief clarification should be noted in regard to
vaccinating ferret kits before 10-12 weeks.  Debbie Riccio said,
 
>Pet stores ferrets are given a distemper vaccination at around 6 wks
>of age - totally wasted.  Maternal antibodies are still in the system
>destroying the advantages of the vaccine.
 
That may be partly true and partly not true.  At six weeks, the kit doesn't
have much ability to mount an immune response but it's just starting to kick
in.  At the same time, antibodies received from the mother are waning in the
kit's body.  I don't know if any vaccine given at this point could be very
effective, but it could provide some low-level antibody response that
probably wouldn't persist for very long.  It's likely also that a few of the
maternal antibodies still present will partially inactivate the attenuated
virus present in the vaccine, but this doesn't prevent a vaccine from
producing a *some* response from the immune system, albeit, a modest one at
best.
 
So, technically, maternal antibodies don't destroy the advantages of a
vaccine, no more than your own antibodies to tetanus toxoid prevent you from
"renewing" your immunity to tetanus when you get a booster shot every 10
years.  Even with circulating antibodies trying to inactivate the vaccine,
enough vaccine gets through to the immune system to activate it.  The
question is whether vaccinating a kit at six weeks provides any *effective*
immunity until the immune system has matured enough for vaccination several
weeks later.  I think the only reason this is done is because canine
distemper is essentially 100% fatal in ferrets, but I don't know if this has
actually been tested.  I'm sure most people would rather not conduct an
experimental study to find out since it would mean giving distemper to
ferret kits.  It's a judgment call in the end.
 
Given the lethal nature of distemper, is it worth the cost and possible risk
of subsequent vaccine reactions to provide a small degree of immunity for
about a month?  What are the risks of being exposed to distemper during that
window?  I don't have an answer.  If you're a breeder and are nearly certain
you can avoid exposure to distemper until the kit is four months old then
the early vaccina- tion is certainly unnecessary.  But, most kits are placed
in homes by that time where there might be a greater chance of exposure to
distemper.
 
Finally, I would acho F. Scott Giarrocco's comments about posting Grant
Kozak's picture on a web peg.  As I understand the law, Kozak is not a
public figure and could sue for invasion of privacy if such a posting were
not handled very delicately.
 
--Jeff Johnston
[Posted in FML issue 1613]