Aleutian disease in domestic ferrets: diagnostic findings and survey results

Abstract

Aleutian disease was diagnosed as the cause of posterior ataxia and paresis in domestic ferrets. Six serologically positive animals (four clinically affected and two unaffected) were investigated in detail and seven other clinically affected ferrets were also identified. The diagnostic findings included hypergammaglobulinaemia, histological lesions in the central nervous system and parvovirus-like particles in mesenteric lymph nodes. A wider serological survey of 446 animals owned by members of a ferret club revealed an incidence of 8.5 per cent seropositive animals.

Nonsuppurative Meningoencephalitis Associated with Aleutian Mink Disease Parvovirus Infection in Ranch Mink

“…2,3 Nonsuppurative encephalomyelitis has been reported in ferrets seropositive for ADV. 21,24 Idiopathic nonsuppurative meningoencephalitis in ranch mink and lymphoplasmacytic meningitis, arteritis, and periarteritis in mink seropositive for ADV have been described; however, severe meningoencephalitis associated with tissues from which ADV DNA has been identified has not been reported. 10,14,22 Here, we report a naturally occurring outbreak of ADV in ranch mink that was associated with severe nonsuppurative meningoencephalitis.…”

Aleutian Mink Disease Parvovirus in Wild Riparian Carnivores in Spain

“…In spite of the fact that ADV infections are so widespread on mink ranches and in ferret populations worldwide (Hansen, 1985;Welchman et al, 1993), information concerning the impact of ADV on related species is limited. It has been suggested that a number of mustelids, including short-tailed weasel (Mustela erminea), fishers (Martes pennanti), marten (Martes americana), and otters (Lutra canadensis) can be infected with ADV and serological evidence for infection in striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis), raccoons (Procyon lotor), wild American mink and foxes (Vulpes vulpes) has been detected (Ingram and Cho, 1974;Kenyon et al, 1978;Alexandersen et al, 1985).…”

Spontaneous Aleutian Disease in a Ferret.

“…Ferrets experimentally infected with the mink strain of ADV are known to develop symptoms of the disease. Spontaneous AD in ferrets has been reported in the U.S.A. [3,6], Canada [1] and the U.K. [5,8,10,11], but there has been no previous report of such spontaneous infection in Japan. This report describes the pathological and molecular biological findings observed in a ferret naturally infected with ADV.…”

“…Spontaneous AD in ferrets was first reported in the U.S.A. in 1967 [3] and has since been reported in Canada and U.K. [1,5,8,10,11], but this is the first report of naturally-occurring ferret AD in Japan. Results of surveys assessing latent ADV infection rates in ferrets vary from 42% of a commercially-bred colony of 214 ferrets in the U.S.A. in 1982 [7] to just under 6% of 204 pet ferrets in the U.K. in 1990 [5], another survey found antibodies to ADV in 10% of 500 ferrets of unspecified origin [2].…”