To Jennifer Gray:
 
>If I introduce my child to someone's who has had this virus will mine
>contract it?
 
     You've got it. We know that asymptomatic ferrets can harbor this virus
for four months, perhaps even longer, and shed it in small amounts in the
feces.  When you use the term "fully recovered" I assume you mean that the
ferret no longer shows symptoms.  That does not mean that the virus is totally
gone from the body.  Just because your ferret meets a ferret with the virus
does not mean that your ferret will get it - as it is probaly spread via
contact with the feces, there must be oral-fecal contact to spread this disease
(ferrets using the same litter, etc.)
 
>The Faq also states that "Once they have had it, they are immune from
>getting it again and will in all probability pass it on to their offspring."
 
     I don't think I said this.  The virus is most likely carreid in the
body for prolonged periods of time and animals may show disease over a period
of time, especially under times of stress.  It doesn't go dormant and hide in
nervous tissue (as far as we know) like herpesviruses do, but probably
maintains a low level by infecting low nubers of intestinal cells at any one
given time.
 
        Latest news on the ECE research - still haven't been able to propagate
this virus in the lab.  It appears to be extremely finicky in its requirements
for continued growth, and until we can maintain cultures of the virus, any
further developments, including vaccines, diagnostic tests, etc. must wait - as
all require a stock of virus to develop.
 
        We ahve gone through six or seven different types of cell lines trying
to find one the virus will like.  Now we have even developed our own cell line,
using tissue from fetal ferrets obtained from spayed ferrets.  After two weeks,
the line appears to be viable, and we infected it yesterday.  We have great
hopes that the virus will like this line, as it appears to be specifically
adapted to ferret cells.
 
    My apologies to everyone who has been asking about the status of the
fecal samples they sent in.  Remember, research is a slow, painstaking
process,and we appear to be the only facility in the country doing any work
on this virus.  (Remember it took YEARS to identify the HIV virus, and many
many facilities all ove the world were working on that one....)
 
--
Bruce Williams, DVM, DACVP              Department of Veterinary Pathology
[log in to unmask]                       Armed Forces Institute of Pathology
(202) 782-2600/2602                     Washington, D.C.  20306-6000
[Posted in FML issue 1211]