http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/28/science/28viru.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
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Ferrets are being used for bird flu research at the CDC.  Bottom line for
ferret lovers:
 
>Ferrets are used for some studies because, unlike mice, they easily
>catch human flu viruses and get sick... At the disease centers,
>Taronna Maines and Terrence Tumpey have infected ferrets with A (H5N1)
>and then monitored them to see ... if the infected animals cough up
>the virus or sneeze it out and spread it to healthy ones.  It turns
>out that ferrets do not transmit the disease easily, though some
>healthy animals develop antibodies to the virus, indicating that they
>have been exposed.  If a strain comes along that is contagious in
>ferrets, it might be bad news for people.
 
Linda Iroff
International Ferret Congress
http://www.ferretcongress.org
[Posted in FML issue 5196]