To Jen, Andre, Newton, and ????
 
>Oh and to Dr Williams, The guy that we're getting the ferret from said that
>he heard that albino animals dont live as long as others because they lack
>strength in their immune system. Just wondered if this could be true.
 
   No, I can't agree with that.  The lackof pigmentation that we seen
in albinos is due to a lack of the enzyme tyrosinase which helps form
melanin pigment.  However, the lack of this enzyme does not affect the
immune system in the least.  I don't think that albinos are any
shorter-lived than any other type of ferret....
 
Bruce H. Williams, DVM         Dept. of Veterinary Pathology
Chief Pathologist, AccuPath    Armed Forces Institute of Pathology
[log in to unmask]         Washington, D.C.  20306-6000
                               [log in to unmask]
[Posted in FML issue 1222]