Aleutian Disease in ferrets is an auto-immune condition initiated by
infection by an innocuous parvovirus.  Infection is not always fatal, as
some ferrets are able to clear the infection, but once clinical signs of
the disease are seen, the disease will proceed to its inevitable course,
the demise of the ferret.
 
The course of the disease is 18-24 months, with the balance of that time
being without symptoms.  It is generally only in the last several months
that the symptoms of the disease become obvious - renal failure, weight
loss, splenomegaly, and terminally, clotting abnormalities.  In a small
subset of cases, an early sign may be ascending paralysis, from which the
animal recovers to health for a period of many months, before eventually
succumbing to the kidney damage that an immune system gone awry can cause.
 
Currently, there is no treatment or prevention, but diagnostic tests can
identify infected ferrets.  The problem with Aleutian disease is that as it
is generally an asymptomatic infection until late in the course of disease,
apparently normal asymptomatic ferrets can spread virus in urine and to a
lesser extent in feces and other secretions to all around them.
 
With kindest regards,
Bruce H. Williams, DVM, DACVP
 
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[Posted in FML issue 3371]