I read over this, and overall found it a pretty good reference with a
few exceptions. However, there were 2 glaring inaccuracies that I think
need to be corrected.

First, to my knowledge, Dr. Blau at the Blue Cross Animal Hospital only
runs the CIEP test. In my dealings with him, he has never indicated he
has the equipment to run either a PCR or an ELISA. Secondly, to my
knowledge, UGA stopped doing any ADV testing after Kate Pennick left to
attend vet school at MSU about 6 years ago. And, as an aside for those
who were used to dealing with Kate, she graduated from MSU with a
degree in Veterinary Clinical Pathology, and in 2011 was accepted into
a 2 year residency program at Kansas State University. While at MSU,
she worked closely with Dr. Matti Kiupel, a name many of you will
recognize for all the work he has done in studying a variety ferret
diseases.

There is also an important omission in the listing of places offering
testing. MSU offers a PCR test for ferret ADV.

     Ferret Health Advancement at MSU
<http://www.ferrethealth.msu.edu/Diagnostics.php> 

Several years ago, UGA turned all of their ADV samples (that some of
us provided) as well as all of their data on ADV to Dr. Matti Kiupel
and MSU. In one conversation with Dr. Kiupel he expressed an interest
in possibly trying to develop an ADV test that would be both easily
affordable, and also very accurate. However, at this time he is very
involved with his work on ferret coronaviruses.

Some other minor details - ADV is known to be present in wild mink
populations although the extent of its presence is unknown. About 15
years ago there was a relocation of a wild mink population from one
state to another. While in captivity, the mink were tested for things
like canine distemper and ADV. If I remember correctly, about 20% of
the captured mink tested positive for ADV.

Here is a link to an article published earlier this year that lists
other animals that can carry or become infected with ADV. In this
study, done in Nova Scotia, Canada, 93% of wild mink trapped and tested
had ADV. However, this sample was rather small (only 60 wild American
mink). However, there are other studies out there showing a wide range
in the percentage of wild mink infected with ADV.

Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica | Full text | Aleutian mink disease virus
in furbearing mammals in Nova Scotia, Canada
<http://www.actavetscand.com/content/55/1/10> 

Here is an article written mostly for mink farmers and published in
2011. Although mostly about mink, it does bring up some interesting
questions, like a theory that rather than wild mink infecting farmed
mink through exposure, the opposite may be true. In this study, it was
found that the wild mink living close to mink farms that were captured
and tested had a much higher incidence of ADV than those found away
from any mink farms.

PLOS ONE: Mink Farms Predict Aleutian Disease Exposure in Wild American
Mink
<http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0021693>

ADV is also present in skunks, and there is a strain of ADV only seen
in skunks.

Aleutian Disease in Two Domestic Striped Skunks (Mephitis mephitis)
<http://vet.sagepub.com/content/44/5/687.full>

Raccoons can carry ADV, and infect other animals. However, it is not
known if raccoons actually become ill or not.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC189888/pdf/700852.pdf

http://furresearch.org/secure/Gorham/Gorham2002.pdf

Here is an article that discusses how ADV could be spread by mosquitos.
In this study, it was found that a particular type of mosquito could
carry the virus for up to 35 days after feeding on an infected mink,
and that in some cases the virus actually replicated in the mosquito,
indicating they could infect other animals they fed on. Unfortunately,
there is only a summary available, unless the article is purchased (for
a sum of $39.95).

The persistence of Aleutian disease virus in the mosquito Aedes
fitchii - Springer
<http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2FBF01242558?LI=true>

I also question the comment that ADV is rarely observed in ferrets over
the last few years. While we are not hearing about big outbreaks, I am
concerned that many people have stopped testing, and therefore it is
unknown whether or not there is a lot of ADV in the ferret population.
There may also be people just not being public about cases of ADV. I
know many people who used to test that have stopped, and I also know
there are areas in the US where people feel that there is no ADV. I
have spoken with several vets and veterinary pathologists who feel that
ferret owners are becoming too complacent and that ADV may become a
serious threat again, if routine testing is not done. Also, I know
from discussions with bother Dr. Robert Wagner and Dr. Matti Kiupel
that they are concerned the test ferret owners use most frequently -
the CIEP test - is subject to a possible high percentage of false
negatives, because the virus can go dormant for extended periods of
time, allowing antibody levels to drop low enough to be undetected by
the test. My personal experience with ADV and the CIEP test did not
support this theory, but my sample was too small to be significant (a
total of 11 ferrets).

ADV can easily spread. It does not require direct contact with an
infected animal, just contact with the bodily fluids (urine, blood
saliva, feces, etc.) of an infected animal. Now, there are many people
who take their ferrets outside for walks, and while I feel this is a
great enrichment exercise for ferrets, I also worry that in doing so
these people could be at risk of accidently exposing their ferret to
ADV. Mink, raccoons skunks and weasels are very common in most areas of
the US and Canada. And, you do not have to live in a rural area to have
these animals around you homes. I like less than 10 miles outside of
Washington, D.C., and I routinely see skunks and raccoons around my
house after dark. I am certain that these animals relieve themselves in
my yard on a regular basis. And, since ferrets love to sniff everything
they come in contact with, if an infected animal was around, I could
expose my ferrets to ADV by allowing them to run around in my yard.

Now, I suspect that the chance of pet ferrets getting ADV from unseen
things they might encounter while being walked outside is low, it is
possible.

I am not trying to scare people, but I do think that we need to be
certain we do not become complacent about ADV. It is out there, and
the only way to prevent its spread is by testing and keeping any
infected animals separate from the general population.

Sorry for the soapbox rant, but ADV is a subject that I am still very
passionate about.  As I often say - if you don't test, you don't know.
Please think about what I have said, and do what you can to keep your
ferrets safe.

Danee DeVore

ADV - If your ferret hasn't been tested, you don't know!
See - http://www.ferretadv.com/

Owner of The Clay Ferret
Quality Kits Raised With Love
Color Logo TCF

[Posted in FML 7981]