Aleutian disease in ferrets

Abstract

When 32 antibody-free ferrets were inoculated with the highly mink-virulent Utah-1 strain of Aleutian disease virus (ADV), most developed ADV antibody starting 15 days after infection, but the antibody titers were much lower than those seen in mink. Relatively small amounts of ADV were demonstrated in CRFK cell

Viral diseases of ferrets

“…The infection was documented in ferrets in the late 1960s [19]. At least three separate strains of Aleutian disease virus (ADV)-distinct from the mink strains-have been identified in ferrets [20,21]. The ferret strains are believed to be mutant strains of the mink parvovirus; the hypervariable capsid region of the ferret strains of ADV is similar to that of the mink parvovirus [22].…”

“…The ferret strains are believed to be mutant strains of the mink parvovirus; the hypervariable capsid region of the ferret strains of ADV is similar to that of the mink parvovirus [22]. Ferrets can be infected with the mink virus [20,21] and ferret ADV can infect mink; however, the virulence is lower compared with mink that are infected with mink strains [21,23,24].…”

“…Affected individuals are immunosuppressed, and therefore, are more susceptible to influenza, viral enteritis, and distemper [1,26]. Ferrets that are inoculated with ferret-adapted ADV exhibit marked, persistent hyperglobulinemia and periportal lymphocytic infiltrates of the liver [21]; however, immunocompetent adult ferrets that are infected experimentally can develop a persistent infection without clinical disease [21]. Mink strains cause milder lesions and only a moderate elevation in gamma globulins in ferrets [1].…”

“…Although hypergammaglobulinemia is considered to be pathognomonic in mink, this feature is not always present in infected ferrets [28,29]. Serum protein electrophoresis often shows that gamma globulins account for more than 20% of the total protein concentration [1,21].…”

Diagnosis of Liver Disease in Domestic Ferrets (Mustela Putorius)

“…63 Experimental infection by mink AD and ferret AD showed a high prevalence of periportal lymphoid cell infiltration. 65 Some investigators report that AD may cause mild periportal lymphocytic infiltrate in asymptomatic ferrets. 1 AD is typically difficult to investigate because asymptomatic carriage is common.…”