Viral diseases of ferrets

Abstract

Distemper and rabies vaccination are highly recommended because of the almost invariable fatal outcome of these conditions. Vaccination should constitute an important part of a ferret's preventative medicine program. With the current and anticipated development and licensing of new vaccines, practitioners are invited to gain awareness of the latest vaccine information. Establishment of a practice vaccination protocol with regards to the site of administration of rabies and distemper vaccines is paramount to document any future abnormal tissue reactions. Influenza is the most common zoonotic disease that is seen in ferrets. Although it generally is benign in most ferrets, veterinarians must take this condition seriously. The characteristic continuous antigenic variation of this virus may lead to more virulent strains; the recent emergence of avian influenza virus outbreaks; and the increased susceptibility of elderly, young, and immunosuppressed individuals.

Monitoring of Antibodies Titre Against Canine Distemper Virus in Ferrets Vaccinated with a Live Modified Vaccine

“…It is likely to be safe, but has not been verifi ed satisfactorily yet. A suitable vaccination pattern involves primary vaccination at eight weeks of age with subsequent double revaccination at 3-week intervals followed by annual revaccinations (Quesenberry and Orcutt 2004;Langlois 2005).…”

“…Vaccination in ferrets is associated with nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, erythema and fever. Ferrets should therefore be monitored for at least 30 minutes after vaccination (Langlois 2005). Should an undesirable post-vaccination response occur, administration of an antihistaminic (diphenhydramin chloride) is recommended.…”

“…The canine distemper strain contained in these vaccines is derived from the Onderstepoort strain cultivated on VERO cell lines. Vaccine Galaxy-D (Solvay Animal Health) can be employed, too, but it is not originally intended for ferrets and its effi cacy against canine distemper in ferrets has not been confi rmed with confi dence yet (Langlois 2005). Only polyvalent vaccines have been available in Australia and New Zealand so far and there is certain consensus between veterinary practitioners and companies that polyvalent vaccines for dogs may be used in ferrets there, too (Lewington 2003).…”

“…The reported half-life of the maternal antibodies is 9.4 days (Appel and Harris 1988). Vaccination before week 6 is not advisable due to possible interactions of vaccine antigens with maternal antibodies (Langlois 2005). The next vaccination is administered at week 10 to 12 and then at week 13 to 14 of age.…”

Emerging infectious diseases in coastal countries: examples from different countries on different situations

“…The infection was firstly found in ferrets, which is a wildlife reservoir. It becomes a big topic to be considered [8,9]. In fact, since the discovery of first case in 2012 and confirmation in 2013, it has been concluded that the possible source of rabies in Taiwan of China might be from mainland.…”