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Ferret gets swine flu from its owner, a first
By Jacques Von Lunen, special to The Oregon...
October 20, 2009, 3:47AM
It appears that certain pets can catch swine flu from their owners.
Oregon just registered its first case of a natural human-animal transmission of the H1N1 virus. Actually, it may be the first such recorded case anywhere, said Emilio DeBess, Oregon state public health veterinarian.
A ferret, whose owner had shown flulike symptoms, tested positive for swine flu on Oct. 8.
The owners took the ferret to a veterinary clinic in Portland on Oct. 5 (DeBess said the clinic asked not to be identified.) The animal had severe respiratory illness and showed many of the symptoms people associate with the flu: fever, weakness, coughing and sneezing.
After hearing that the owner suffered from flu symptoms just before the ferret got sick, the treating veterinarian called DeBess, whose responsibilities include serving as a consultant to Oregon vets.
DeBess asked the vet to send in a sample of the ferret's nasal secretions. It was tested at an Oregon State University lab, which found genetic markers for the strain of H1N1 that's infecting humans. A lab of the U.S. Department for Agriculture confirmed the finding on Oct. 9.
This came as little surprise to DeBess. Ferrets, which are sensitive toward respiratory illness, have been used in labs to see how the flu will affect people, he said. But this may be the first case anywhere of a ferret catching the flu from its owner, without the help of lab technicians, he said.
The ferret is recovering.
DeBess put the staff at the clinic on "fever watch" after the test results came in. No one at the clinic had gotten sick as of last week, he said.
Ferret owners need to be careful during flu season. And that goes both ways. If you have a ferret that's sneezing and coughing, wash your hands a lot and definitely take it to a vet. If you are sick with flulike symptoms, handle your ferret sparingly. Don't cough or sneeze near it.
The same is true for birds, DeBess said. Birds are basically the origin of all flu viruses, historically, and they "can get any and all flu viruses," he said. However, no cases of birds contracting H1N1 are documented in this country.
In the past five years the flu virus has mutated into a strain called H3N8, which infects dogs. It's not known to transmit to humans. No known strain infects cats, and neither cats nor dogs can carry H1N1.
-- Jacques Von Lunen
http://www.oregonlive.com/pets/index.ssf/2009/10/ferret_gets_swine_flu_from_its.html
By Jacques Von Lunen, special to The Oregon...
October 20, 2009, 3:47AM
It appears that certain pets can catch swine flu from their owners.
Oregon just registered its first case of a natural human-animal transmission of the H1N1 virus. Actually, it may be the first such recorded case anywhere, said Emilio DeBess, Oregon state public health veterinarian.
A ferret, whose owner had shown flulike symptoms, tested positive for swine flu on Oct. 8.
The owners took the ferret to a veterinary clinic in Portland on Oct. 5 (DeBess said the clinic asked not to be identified.) The animal had severe respiratory illness and showed many of the symptoms people associate with the flu: fever, weakness, coughing and sneezing.
After hearing that the owner suffered from flu symptoms just before the ferret got sick, the treating veterinarian called DeBess, whose responsibilities include serving as a consultant to Oregon vets.
DeBess asked the vet to send in a sample of the ferret's nasal secretions. It was tested at an Oregon State University lab, which found genetic markers for the strain of H1N1 that's infecting humans. A lab of the U.S. Department for Agriculture confirmed the finding on Oct. 9.
This came as little surprise to DeBess. Ferrets, which are sensitive toward respiratory illness, have been used in labs to see how the flu will affect people, he said. But this may be the first case anywhere of a ferret catching the flu from its owner, without the help of lab technicians, he said.
The ferret is recovering.
DeBess put the staff at the clinic on "fever watch" after the test results came in. No one at the clinic had gotten sick as of last week, he said.
Ferret owners need to be careful during flu season. And that goes both ways. If you have a ferret that's sneezing and coughing, wash your hands a lot and definitely take it to a vet. If you are sick with flulike symptoms, handle your ferret sparingly. Don't cough or sneeze near it.
The same is true for birds, DeBess said. Birds are basically the origin of all flu viruses, historically, and they "can get any and all flu viruses," he said. However, no cases of birds contracting H1N1 are documented in this country.
In the past five years the flu virus has mutated into a strain called H3N8, which infects dogs. It's not known to transmit to humans. No known strain infects cats, and neither cats nor dogs can carry H1N1.
-- Jacques Von Lunen
http://www.oregonlive.com/pets/index.ssf/2009/10/ferret_gets_swine_flu_from_its.html
