The other coccidia genus often seen in ferrets is Isopora and too many
vets and pathologists still only look for one of those genera despite
the two being very different sizes and needing different magnification.
Multiple species within these genera infect ferrets and some are far,
far worse than others. There have been shelters which have lost a very
large proportion of their ferrets in past years to a rampaging bloody
diarrhea which was caused by species of the worst forms of coccidia
ferrets can get.

Notice that this is apiece of work involving TWO people who have been
mentioned here often because of all that they do for ferrets:
Dr Ruth Heller who is one of the FHL moderators and an FHL veterinary
star.
and
Dr. Matti Kiupel of the Michigan State Ferret Health Advancement group
which has done so much to help ferrets and wants to continue to do so
as funds allow. See the fourth address in my signature lines to get to
their very helpful website. Notice in the publications section there
that another FHL veterinary star, Dr. Jerry Murray, has also worked
with Dr. Kiupel, and that one of the original FHL moderators, Dr.
Bruce Williams also has done so.

QUOTE
J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2011 Dec 15;239(12):1584-8.
Outbreaks of severe enteric disease associated with Eimeria furonis
infection in ferrets (Mustela putorius furo) of 3 densely populated
groups.
Sledge DG, Bolin SR, Lim A, Kaloustian LL, Heller RL, Carmona FM,
Kiupel M.

Source
Diagnostic Center for Population and Animal Health, Michigan State
University, Lansing, MI 48910.

Abstract
Case Description-3 unrelated, densely populated, dynamic ferret
populations with severe outbreaks of enteric coccidiosis were
evaluated. Clinical Findings-In each outbreak, morbidity rate was high,
there were an appreciable number of deaths, and ferrets of all ages
were affected. Affected individuals had acute onset of diarrhea, and
feces often contained frank or digested blood. Other clinical signs
included dehydration, weakness, lethargy, and weight loss. Fecal
examinations of affected ferrets revealed sporadic and inconsistent
shedding of coccidial oocysts. Necropsy findings included moderate to
marked atrophic enteritis associated with numerous intraepithelial and
fewer extracellular coccidial life stages. Sporulated oocysts isolated
from feces were consistent with Eimeria furonis. A PCR assay was
performed on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded sections of intestine
for the gene encoding the small subunit of rRNA yielded products with
sequences identical to those described for E furonis. Treatment and
Outcome-Supportive care and treatment with sulfadimethoxine over the
course of these outbreaks was palliative, but long-term treatment was
required and failed to completely eradicate infection as identified
by the subsequent finding of oocysts in fecal samples. Clinical
Relevance-Enteric coccidiosis due to infection with E furonis has
typically been reported to be subclinical rather than to cause severe
gastrointestinal disease in ferrets. This report indicated that
infection with E furonis may have contributed to severe enteric disease
with high morbidity and mortality rates in 3 densely populated,
dynamic groups of ferrets. Furthermore, long-term treatment with
anti-coccidials may be required in outbreak situations, but may
be ineffectual in completely eradicating infection.

PMID: 22129123 [PubMed - in process]
END QUOTE

There is a lot more on coccidia types and finding and treating them in
the FHL (Ferret Health List) Archives which is the second URL in my
signature lines. It is knowledge that can help people save their
ferrets.

The first known truly severe (often fatal) form of coccidia looked
at in ferrets was apparently originally reported on the FML (Ferret
Mailing List) long enough ago that I am not sure if it is among the
archives. Dr. Bruce Williams found the cause back then. The outbreak
lead to an A List of treating veterinarians of which I was the silent
moderator and to tracing the origin (a closed Long Island location)
from which it had spread (shelters that had taken the ferrets from
that location and adopters), getting veterinary advice out there
(which turned out to be isolate locations, isolate locations, isolate
locations, and use treatments like Albon for a much longer time than
usual since that particular strain of coccidia was very hardy and
infected something like 25% to 30% of exposed animals but killed every
ferret who got it), and also separated out some similar reports that
had different causes in different locations and some dissimilar reports
with different causes in different locations. That outbreak was
successfully contained and killed off back then and it was many years
before such a severe outbreak again appeared. Then a severe form of
coccidia again first showed up in shelters but that time multiple
shelters refused to close their doors till it was contained and treat,
so a great many shelters wound up involved before that logical action
became the response because there were ferrets moving among shelters
again. Similar outbreaks have obviously happened in shelters since that
time, too, so always remember to close doors to incoming or outgoing
during treatment in such locations until the shelter is definitely
safe again when serious contagions of any type are present, and always
remember to have multiple fecal samples on a number of multiple days
checked for both sizes of coccidia that ferrets get.

Sukie (not a vet)

Recommended ferret health links:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
http://www.miamiferret.org/
http://www.ferrethealth.msu.edu/
http://www.ferretcongress.org/
http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml
http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html
all ferret topics:
http://listserv.ferretmailinglist.org/archives/ferret-search.html

"All hail the procrastinators for they shall rule the world tomorrow."
(2010, Steve Crandall)
On change for its own sake: "You can go really fast if you just jump
off the cliff." (2010, Steve Crandall)

[Posted in FML 7262]