To Tony and Donna: (Excerpt from Reebok's path report:) > Alterations are suggestive of a primary viral enteritis as commonly >observed with parvovirus infection. The possibility of an aggressive >corona virus with secondary bacterial endotoxemia is also considered. >... CULTERE/TEST RESULTS; no salmonella sp. isolated, no pathogens >isolated @ 48 hours, no campylobacter sp. isolated, clostridium >perfringens isolated. Okay, this explains the problem. The changes in the intestine ar compatible with what is seen in dogs and cats, and I have seen this several times in ferrets, but it's not parvovirus. Parvoviruses have never been isolated from the ferret intestine, and I have looked on several occasions myself. The presence of bacteria and the isolation of Clostridium is interesting- but the pathologist doesn't comment on whether the bacteria are consistent with the microscopic appearance of Clostridium or not. Clostridium perfringens can produce a toxin that causes similar changes in the intestine to what has been seen in Reebok and I have long considered this as a possibility in this condition, but as most of the cases that I have been sent had no culture results, I have never been able to prove it. Also a diagnosis of clostridial enterotoxemia depends on a post that was done immediately after death, because Clostridium is a normal inhabitant of the intestine, and may proliferate rapidly after death, obscuring its antemortem levels. At this point, we don't know why Clostridium proliferates in certain ferrets. I have seen it at the Ntaional Zoo in black-footed ferret kits, but no predisposing factors were ever found. It appears to be a very sporadic disease, and if your other ferrets are okay at this point, I don't think you have much to worry about with them. I wouldn't consder vaccinating for parvovirus at this point - I don't think there is any use at all in it.... Bruce Williams, DVM, DACVP Dept. of Vet Path, AFIP [log in to unmask] OR Chief Pathologist, AccuPath [log in to unmask] [Posted in FML issue 1385]