>[Moderator's note: Not sure I get the connection -- but assuming we
>are still talking about ADV "living" in purchased merchandise, I'm
>more interested in people's opinion about whether or not such a thing
>is even possible -- seems HIGHLY unlikely to me!
 
Hi Bill,
Glad you asked that question.
 
First, as I have looked into the disagreement a little, it seems that
the issue is really a feud between people, and not ADV.  ADV is simply
a weapon that they (or some of them) are using.
 
That saddens me a little - well maybe a lot.  ADV is to important an
issue to use to try and discredit others.  And, doing that can confuse
many newbies on what is and isn't true.
 
But on to Bill's question.  The answer is, theoretically, yes.
 
While I don't have the study in front of me to quote, I am familiar with
a study that was done in (I believe) Sweden, that proved ADV could live
outside a host body for up to at least 2 years.
 
What happened was, there were some mink cages that had housed ADV+ mink.
After the mink were killed, the cages were left empty for 2 years, and
then thoroughly cleaned.  New mink were obtained and put in the cages.
The mink came down with ADV, and it was determined to be from the cages.
 
Now, I don't know what all was done to clean the cages, or what kind of
cages they were.  However, since this was a mink farm, they likely had
wood frames.  Wood is a porous material and is very hard to sanitize,
even if parvocide is used.
 
So, going from cages to bedding, if material is around ADV+ ferrets, and
they were to sneeze or cough on it, the ADV could be transmitted in the
material.
 
Fabric is also a porous material, and just spraying with parvocide may
not be sufficient.  However, if the material is soaked in parvocide, and
then washed in hot soapy water, that should be enough to prevent any
spread of ADV.  The hot soapy water does not kill the ADV, but loosens
any particles that might contain ADV so they are separated from the cloth
(like it does with dirt).
 
--
Danee
International Ferret Congress Health Issues Coordinator
http://ferretcongress.org
ADV - If your ferret hasn't been tested, you don't know!
For more information visit: http://www.ferretadv.com
You can help fight ADV! Visit:
http://help4adv.terrabox.com/
 
[Moderator's note: Thanks, Danee.  Your observation that a lot of this
is more about a feud than it is about ADV does seem to be correct.  I
don't think we'll have any more posts about the topic past tomorrow
unless they are clearly educational rather than questionable!  BIG]
[Posted in FML issue 4705]