Post by aleronferrets on Jun 9, 2008 2:24:46 GMT -5
It seems on ferret forums whenever distemper is brought up, also brought up is that there is a risk of carrying distemper home on your clothes or your ferret becoming infected due to their environment. What is seldom mentioned though, is that the distemper is not generally that hardy. The virus tends to be unstable outside of the body, easily killed by cleaners and requires fresh secretions for transmission. It is most commonly passed directly from one animal to another directly through coughing or sneezing, although it is found in urine as well. Of course, it is a highly contagious virus and a dangerous one. I am not suggesting otherwise. That said, the facts never hurt to know!
"Etiology and Pathogenesis:
Canine distemper is caused by a paramyxovirus closely related to the viruses of measles and rinderpest. The enveloped virus is sensitive to lipid solvents and most disinfectants and is relatively unstable outside the host. The main route of infection is via aerosol droplet secretions from infected animals. Some infected dogs may shed virus for several months." www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/56700.htm
"The Virus Itself
The canine distemper virus is closely related to the human measles virus and, in fact, in older times, puppies were immunized for distemper with vaccine against measles. It has been said that a child in the home of a dog vaccinated with live distemper virus vaccine will become exposed to the virus and immunized against the measles (though we do not recommend such experiments at home)
The distemper virus consists of a single strand of RNA, encased in a protein coat which is again encased in a fatty envelope. This sounds esoteric but the fatty envelope makes all the difference in the world. The fatty envelope is easily disrupted in the environment which makes it impossible for infectious virus to persist in the environment. Because an intact fatty envelope is required for infection, virus transmission must involve dog to dog contact or at least contact with extremely fresh (less than 30 minutes old) infected body secretions. As with other viruses, living virus happily freezes and can survive for years if kept frozen and protected from light. Routine disinfection and cleaning readily kills the distemper virus in the kennel setting.
Transmission and Infection
The infected dog typically infects other dogs via coughing infected respiratory secretions though the virus is shed in most other body secretions including urine. The virus enters the new host via the nose or mouth and promptly begins to replicate.
...
We owned a dog that died and was suspected of having distemper. How should we disinfect our home before a new dog is introduced?
One of the few positive aspects of distemper is that the virus cannot live without fresh secretions; it is inactivated in minutes outside the living host’s body. Minimal disinfection is necessary."
www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=1733
Comparatively parvovirus tends to be very hardy and is often spread by being carried from one environment to another. It is resistant to most disinfectants and can live in the environment for anywhere between a month and a year. ADV in ferrets is a parvovirus but I seldom see much mention that it is something which you could carry into your home on your clothes.
"Etiology and Pathogenesis:
Canine distemper is caused by a paramyxovirus closely related to the viruses of measles and rinderpest. The enveloped virus is sensitive to lipid solvents and most disinfectants and is relatively unstable outside the host. The main route of infection is via aerosol droplet secretions from infected animals. Some infected dogs may shed virus for several months." www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/56700.htm
"The Virus Itself
The canine distemper virus is closely related to the human measles virus and, in fact, in older times, puppies were immunized for distemper with vaccine against measles. It has been said that a child in the home of a dog vaccinated with live distemper virus vaccine will become exposed to the virus and immunized against the measles (though we do not recommend such experiments at home)
The distemper virus consists of a single strand of RNA, encased in a protein coat which is again encased in a fatty envelope. This sounds esoteric but the fatty envelope makes all the difference in the world. The fatty envelope is easily disrupted in the environment which makes it impossible for infectious virus to persist in the environment. Because an intact fatty envelope is required for infection, virus transmission must involve dog to dog contact or at least contact with extremely fresh (less than 30 minutes old) infected body secretions. As with other viruses, living virus happily freezes and can survive for years if kept frozen and protected from light. Routine disinfection and cleaning readily kills the distemper virus in the kennel setting.
Transmission and Infection
The infected dog typically infects other dogs via coughing infected respiratory secretions though the virus is shed in most other body secretions including urine. The virus enters the new host via the nose or mouth and promptly begins to replicate.
...
We owned a dog that died and was suspected of having distemper. How should we disinfect our home before a new dog is introduced?
One of the few positive aspects of distemper is that the virus cannot live without fresh secretions; it is inactivated in minutes outside the living host’s body. Minimal disinfection is necessary."
www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=1733
Comparatively parvovirus tends to be very hardy and is often spread by being carried from one environment to another. It is resistant to most disinfectants and can live in the environment for anywhere between a month and a year. ADV in ferrets is a parvovirus but I seldom see much mention that it is something which you could carry into your home on your clothes.