I usually try to avoid posting twice but I saw Edward Lipinski's post about
ferrets contracting or transmitting HIV.  I guess I'm about as close to an
expert on HIV research as anyone who posts on the FML.  I don't work with
the virus itself, but the guys in the lab on the floor above me do and I do
lots of epidemiologic research on HIV in humans.  I'll state this as clearly
as possible:
 
In no way can ferrets be infected with or transmit human immunodeficiency
virus.  HIV is strictly a primate-specific illness.  Apes (including humans)
and monkeys can be infected with it, but with the exception of a single
chimpanzee, only humans develop AIDS from HIV infection.  I'd be happy to
describe the specificity of HIV glycoproteins for CD4 and CC-CKR5 binding
sites on human macrophages and helper T-cells if that would have any meaning
to anyone.  Suffice it to say that it took years and lots of effort just to
develop a mouse model for HIV infection and the only way to do that is to
destroy the mouse's bone marrow and replace it with human bone marrow so
that it has human blood cells and a human immune system.  Researchers tried
to find an animal that could develop AIDS after HIV infection.  The bottom
line is that only primates can be infected and of all the primates, only
humans develop AIDS due to HIV infection.  Ferrets can *not* carry or
transmit HIV.  Period.
 
One more comment...to Eddie Palacios, whose friends' neighbors told him he
would have to get rid of his ferrets and cat while his wife is pregnant.
I'm sure your friends mean well, but they're probably uninformed about the
risks of infectious disease transmission from pets to women during
pregnancy.  Presumably your friends' neighbors have heard that the parasite
toxoplasmosis can be transmitted from infected cats.  This can only happen
if your wife has never been exposed to toxo before and happens to be
infected for the first time during her pregnancy.  If you wife *has* been
exposed before--most people who have ever had cats as pets have been), she
almost certainly has antibodies to toxoplasmosis and her immunity will
protect the baby from getting infected.  You have two choices.  (1) Get your
wife's obstetrician to find out if your wife has a protective level of
antibodies to toxoplasmosis, or, better yet (2) *you* can change the litter
and wash the cage until the baby is born.
 
   Keep your ferrets. Educate your friends.
   --Jeff Johnston
[Posted in FML issue 1826]