Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Tuberculosis infection in a 9-month-old pet ferret
By Barth, Stefanie A et al.·Published in Tierarztliche Praxis. Ausgabe K, Kleintiere/Heimtiere·2020·Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut/Bundesforschungsinstitut fü·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Tuberculosis in a pet ferret (Mustela putorius furo).
- Species:
- rodent
Plain-English summary
A 9-month-old pet ferret was taken to the vet because it was losing weight, seemed very tired, and wasn't eating much. During surgery, the vet found a firm mass in the ferret's abdomen, but due to the ferret's poor health and the grim outlook, the decision was made to euthanize it. The mass was examined and showed signs of a serious infection linked to tuberculosis. This case highlights that ferrets can be prone to infections like tuberculosis, which pet owners should be aware of.
People also search for: ferret weight loss · ferret not eating · ferret tuberculosis symptoms · pet ferret health issues
Abstract
A 9-month old pet ferret was presented to a veterinarian with symptoms of weight loss, apathy, and hyporexia. Explorative laparotomy identified a firm mass of approximately 2 × 2 × 2 cm in size in the mesentery of the jejunum. Because of the poor general condition and the unfavorable prognosis, the ferret was euthanized during surgery. The mass was resected in total and submitted to histological examination which revealed a granulomatous and necrotizing lymphadenitis. Acid fast bacteria were detected by Fite-Faraco staining leading to the suspicion of an infection withsp. PCR confirmed presence of DNA of members of thecomplex, subsequently specified as. The detected spoligotype SB2548 was described for the first time. Ferrets are presented to veterinarians with increasing frequency because of their growing popularity as pet animals. Since these animals are highly susceptible to mycobacterial infections, mycobacteriosis and especially zoonotic relevant tuberculosis should be considered as differential diagnosis.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32059253/