Melissa Lough <[log in to unmask]> wrote on 11/14/2004, 3:45 AM: >It cost quite a bit to have the vet do so I would like to find out how >to send out myself; and if the swabing of the mouth is as accurate as >blood? There are 2 types of saliva test that can be done, and both are available from Avecon Diagnostics. Over the last few years, there have been many debates about whether or not the saliva tests are as accurate as the blood test offered by United. The United test has been around for many years, and has proven to be effective. The Avecon tests are fairly new, were not stringently tested before going on the market, and have had some problems associated with them. However, most of the problems encountered have happened with the in home Quick Test, also called the POC test. The ELISA Test, where you send a saliva sample to Avecon, does appear to be fairly reliable. That said, Dr. Stephon (the head of Avecon) stated during a talk he gave at a Pittsburgh ferret show that because the Avecon tests only test for a protein that is present in the antibody when the virus is replicating, that it is possible to get a false negative result if the virus is dormant. As to how often something like this would occur, well, at this time I don't think anyone knows. If you have previously tested your ferrets with the United blood test, and if they have all been negative, then I think you could test with Avecon's ELISA test without any worries about the results. To find out how to collect the sample and send it in, visit their website at: http://www.avecon.com/advabelisa.html To see an online photo essay about how to collect blood sample to send to United, see: http://www.pooflinger.com/advtest.html -- 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/ [Posted in FML issue 4697]