I don't have time to look up the documentation but I know that I posted info about the genetic work to the FML, FHL, or both so it should be easily enough found in an archive. The relationship between gum infections and heart disease has been noticed for some time and two hypotheses had been advanced, and in simplistically short form they are: 1. That impaired circulation made gums more vulnerable to infection and 2. That wounded gums allowed bacteria to migrate to the heart It was even found which types of bacteria seem to be common to both, and they were rather specific ones in the last study I read on that (though that was at least a couple of years ago, I think). Then later a new possibility was added, and that is the genetic work to which I was referring.The evidence was that a shared genetic variation makes some individuals more vulnerable to BOTH gum disease and heart disease. I have not had time to follow the most recent work on the three concepts, how they may overlap if more than one held up in later work, etc. but it might be more complicated than being a simple relationship. There may be interacting factors with cumulative effects. Sukie (not a vet) Recommended ferret health links: http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/ http://ferrethealth.org/archive/ http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html 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 7030]