Well, there is just one ECE coronavirus but there are some other new
diseases.
There is a recurrent coccidia showing up in ferrets this year. Dr.
Matti Kiupel of Michigan State is studying specimens from such ferrets
for free but so far too few people have provided specimens. (Did you
know that for every ferret specimen sent in to pathologists to be
studied there are about a thousand dog ones sent in to be studied?
Sadly, that is just the sort of problem which slows progress against
diseases.)
Coccidia shows up only intermittently in feces, so that may be what you
are dealing with. Coccidia is a pretty good parasite at developing
adaptive variations in itself which can be dangerous for the infected
animals.
Dr. Kiupel is also studying a new coronavirus disease for many months
along with the European researchers who first discovered it. It has
been encountered in Europe since 2004, and presents like Feline
Infectious Peritonitis (FIP), a coronavirus disease with fever, weight
loss, and wide variety of signs which depend on which organs are
developing the granulomatous lesions. In cats there can be anemia and
hypergammaglobulinemia. I don't know if those also happen in the
ferrets. In December when the original describers present on this
disease there should be a good deal of info, given the on-going
research.
This new coronavirus may be mutated from either FIP or ECE.
Understanding coronaviruses takes very specialized expertise and
facilities which is why Dr. Kiupel is working with the European
veterinarians interested in this disease.
For several weeks now a similar disease has been encountered in a
*few* cases in the Pacific Northwest (so far) of the United States. It
is NOT yet known if this is the same disease as in Europe. Hopefully,
enough specimens from such ferrets will be sent on to Dr. Kiupel by the
treating vets and other pathologists:
Dr. med. vet. Matti Kiupel, BS, MS, PhD, DACVP
Fachtierarzt fUr VeterinAr Pathologie
Associate Professor
Michigan State University
Department of Pathobiology and Diagnostic Investigations
Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health
4125 Beaumont Road, Room 152A
Lansing, MI 48910
USA
Tel.: ** 517 432 2670
Fax.: ** 517 432 6557
who is studying specimens (fecal, tissue, etc.) from such individuals.
This new coronavirus disease was first announced in
Vet Rec. 2006 Apr 15;158(15):523.
in
Detection of feline infectious peritonitis virus-like antigen in
ferrets.
by
Martinez J, Ramis AJ, Reinacher M, Perpinan D.
and has been spotted by other European researchers since then.
In the U.S. in the last few weeks since the appearance here of a
similarly presenting disease Doctors Katrina Ramsell and Mike Garner
(who also worked with Dr. Kiupel on DIM) have become very interested in
it, too, and in finding approaches to help such ferrets.
The next step for that particular disease in the U.S. is to get enough
specimens from such infected ferrets to Dr. Kiupel's laboratory to
see if this is the same disease as in Europe or another new one.
Coronaviruses are NOT very prone to mutating so that increases the
chances of it being the same disease in both locations.
BTW, this is the latest on ECE from the Ferret Project at Michigan
State:
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=16499943&query_hl=1&i=tool=pubmed_docsum>
and is the sort of info needed to eventually have better testing,
treatments, and even possibly vaccines. Since ECE may lead to IBD
which in turn appears to be able to cause lymphoma from constant
irritation prevention is likely the best cure.
-- Sukie (not a vet, and not speaking for any of the below in my
private posts)
Recommended health resources to help ferrets and the people who love
them:
Ferret Health List
http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/ferrethealth
FHL Archives
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
AFIP Ferret Pathology
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html
Miamiferrets
http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/
International Ferret Congress Critical References
http://www.ferretcongress.org
[Posted in FML 5396]
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