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Subject:
From:
Sukie Crandall <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Wed, 12 Sep 2007 18:48:47 -0400
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Not ferrets but may be of interest since minks are closely related:

> Arch Environ Contam Toxicol. 2007 Sep 1; [Epub ahead of print]
>
>Chronic Oral Exposure to Bunker C Fuel Oil Causes Adrenal
>Insufficiency in Ranch Mink (Mustela vison).
>
>Mohr FC, Lasley B, Bursian S.
>Department of Veterinary Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology,
>School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA,
>95616, USA
>
>Animals living in the near-shore marine environment are predisposed
>to contact with chemical contaminants through land- and ocean-based
>activities. The release of petroleum hydrocarbons into the marine
>environment is a stressor to this environment and its resident
>wildlife. The stress response to chemical threats is dependent on an
>intact hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, which also may be a target
>to the effects of these chemicals. Ranch mink (Mustela vison) were
>used as surrogates for sea otters (Enhydra lutris) to examine the
>development of adrenal hypertrophy after chronic, oral exposure to low
>concentrations of bunker C fuel oil. Animals were fed three different
>concentrations of fuel oil (48, 520, and 908 ppm) or mineral oil
>(control) for 60-62 days. At the end of the exposure, blood and
>fecal samples were collected and organs were weighed and examined
>microscopically. In all fuel oil groups, exposure resulted in adrenal
>hypertrophy, an adaptation suggestive of adrenal activation. However,
>concentrations of serum and fecal glucocorticoids and serum
>progesterone were not elevated over control values. Hematologic
>parameters and serum chemistries showed no changes consistent with
>increased adrenal activity. In addition, adrenal glands from animals
>fed the higher concentrations of fuel oil contained large numbers of
>heavily vacuolated cells. We conclude that petroleum hydrocarbons
>are inducing an adrenal insufficiency that leads to the adaptive
>enlargement of the gland. This would increase the susceptibility
>of fuel oil-exposed animals to the deleterious effects of other
>environmental stressors.
> PMID: 17763884 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

>Environ Toxicol Chem. 2007 May;26(5):988-97.
>Immunotoxicity of the commercial polybrominated diphenyl ether
>mixture DE-71 in ranch mink (Mustela vison).
>
>Martin PA, Mayne GJ, Bursian FS, Tomy G, Palace V, Pekarik C, Smits J.
>Environment Canada, Canadian Wildlife Service, Burlington, Ontario
>L7R 4A6.
>
>Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are persistent,
>bioaccumulative, organohalogen compounds that are increasing
>exponentially in the Great Lakes (Canada/USA) biota. The present study
>was undertaken to examine the immunological effects of a commercial
>PBDE mixture in ranch mink (Mustela vison). Twenty-week-old mink (n =
>10 mink/group) were exposed to 0, 1, 5, or 10 ppm of DE-71 through
>their diet for eight weeks. The phytohemagglutinin- induced cutaneous
>reaction, and antibodies specific to keyhole limpet hemocyanin
>conjugated to dinitrophenol were measured. Liver microsomal
>ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) activity also was measured. Organs
>were weighed and spleens were examined histologically. No differences
>were found in the PHA-induced skin response in exposed mink; mink in
>the two highest treatments exhibited significant increases in antibody
>production over control mink. Systemic toxicity was apparent;
>significant body weight reductions were found in mink exposed to 5
>and 10 ppm of DE-71. Exposed mink had significantly larger relative
>spleen, adrenal, and liver masses than control mink. Spleens of mink
>exposed to 10 ppm of DE-71 had significantly increased germinal center
>development and incidence of B-cell hyperplasia. The activity of EROD
>was induced in all treated mink relative to controls and was
>positively associated with the liver somatic index. Hematocrit in
>mink from the two highest exposure groups was significantly lower
>than control mink. Percentage neutrophils increased and percentage
>lymphocytes decreased significantly in mink from the higher two dosage
>groups. Our findings have direct relevance to wild mink in the Great
>Lakes ecosystem, because mink are top predators of the aquatic food
>web, providing evidence for the vulnerability of this species to the
>effects of environmental PBDE mixtures.
> PMID: 17521147 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

I love it when places realize they should adopt out:

>J Am Assoc Lab Anim Sci. 2007 Jul;46(4):50-4.
>Outcomes of adoption of adult laboratory ferrets after gonadectomy
>during a veterinary student teaching exercise.
>
>Harms CA, Stoskopf MK.
>Center for Marine Sciences and Technology, North Carolina State
>University, Morehead City, NC, USA. [log in to unmask]
>
>We surveyed 27 people who had adopted a total of 43 adult domestic
>ferrets after their use in a series of veterinary student surgery
>teaching laboratories to assess the success of those adoptions and
>to determine the rate of occurrence of common maladies of domestic
>ferrets after adult gonadectomy as compared with the usual practice
>of early-age gonadectomy. The adoptions took place 1-7 y prior to the
>survey. The response rate was 48% of adopters, covering 53% of the
>ferrets. Overall the success of former breeding and instructional
>ferrets as pets were rated as 91% good or excellent and 4.5% poor.
>Behavioral issues (for example, nipping, failure to litter train) were
>noted as the most common problems (36% of ferrets). Adrenal gland
>disease, insulinoma, or lymphosarcoma occurred in 23% of all ferrets
>and accounted for 57% of those ferrets that had died prior to the
>time of the survey.
> PMID: 17645296 [PubMed - in process]

If I recall right, didn't FML member shelters and the FML play a part
in those ferrets finding homes?

Sukie (not a vet)

Recommended ferret health links:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html
http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/
http://www.ferretcongress.org/
http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml
http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html

[Posted in FML 5729]


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