HEALTH ALERT From: Dr. Bruce H. Williams, Department of Veterinary Pathology, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology Washington, D.C. In the Washington, D.C. area, a highly transmissible diarrheal disease has appeared in several ferret rescue/breeder operations. Clinical signs of this disease include a profound, often greenish, watery diarrhea, rapid dehydration, and in small numbers of adult animals, coma and death. As of this report, the disease has not been seen in kits, however, there is no reason to suspect that they are immune. Microscopic examination of intestines from several animals have shown changes that are consistent with a viral disease which causes the cells lining the intestine to die, and impairs the animals ability to reabsorb water and nutrients. Animals exhibiting these signs should be isolated, and a veterinarian should be consulted. Treatment generally consists of supportive care to combat dehydration, and antibiotics: please consult your veterinarian should you suspect this disease in you pet. Efforts are underway to discover the cause of this disease and how it can be treated. Until that time, if possible, new additions to existing operations should be sharply curtailed. All incoming animals should be isolated, as healthy-appearing animals may transmit this disease. Events in which ferrets from a large number of operations are mixed, as in ferret shows, may hasten the dissemination of this disease to uninfected ferrets. [Posted in FML issue 0451]