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At least 793 records · Page 44Linked to original sources
PubMed1988

Electrocardiographic values from clinically normal, anesthetized ferrets (Mustela putorius furo).

Electrocardiograms were recorded from 25 clinically normal male ferrets anesthetized with ketamine and xylazine and from 7 ferrets anesthetized with ketamine alone. Ferrets anesthetized with ketamine alone had excessive salivation, open eyes, muscle tremors, muscle twitching, paddling motions, attempts to stand, and an unstable ECG baseline. Because ketamine/xylazine combination resulted in induction and good muscle relaxation, the ECG had little interference resulting from muscular movement.

Anesthesia↗
PubMed1987

Variation of the ferret skull (Mustela putorius furo L.) in relation to stereotaxic landmarks.

The ferret skull was investigated to identify reliable extracranial landmarks for stereotaxy. The skulls of 56 ferrets of both sexes were measured in a stereotaxic apparatus. Neither body weight nor an index of skull length proved to be reliable predictors of intracranial location. Sutures fused too early in life for lambda and bregma to be useful as landmarks in adult ferrets. The position of extracranial features was used to predict the position of intracranial features. For rostral intracranial features, the supraorbital processes were found to be the best predictors. Although the occipital crest was not the best predictor for posterior structures, it was the most practical. Using these landmarks, the prediction of intracranial location could be improved by more than 30%. Sexual dimorphism was found for all features examined except those nearest the interaural line. Female skulls were significantly smaller than male skulls and had less prominent sagittal and occipital crests. Males showed a substantial variation in the structures surrounding the pituitary gland. Fitches were also found to differ from albinos in having a more marked development of the sagittal crest.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Characterization of radiation-induced emesis in the ferret.

Forty-eight ferrets (Mustela putorius furo) were individually head-shielded and radiated with bilateral 60Co gamma radiation at 100 cGy min-1 at doses ranging between 49 and 601 cGy. The emetic threshold was observed at 69 cGy, the ED50 was calculated at 77 cGy, and 100% incidence of emesis occurred at 201 cGy. With increasing doses of radiation, the latency to first emesis after radiation decreased dramatically, whereas the duration of the prodromal period increased. Two other sets of experiments suggest that dopaminergic mechanisms play a minor role in radiation-induced emesis in the ferret. Twenty-two animals were injected either intravenously or subcutaneously with 30 to 300 micrograms/kg of apomorphine. Fewer than 50% of the animals vomited to 300 micrograms/kg apomorphine; central dopaminergic receptor activation was apparent at all doses. Another eight animals received 1 mg/kg domperidone prior to either 201 (n = 4) or 401 (n = 4) cGy radiation and their emetic responses were compared with NaCl-injected-irradiated controls (n = 8). At 201 cGy, domperidone significantly reduced only the total time in emetic behavior. At 401 cGy, domperidone had no salutary effect on radiation-induced emesis. The emetic responses of the ferret to radiation and apomorphine are compared with these responses in other vomiting species.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Experimental Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in the ferret.

Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) was provoked in the ferret, Mustela pulorius furo, by immunosuppression with daily long-term administration of cortisone acetate, 10-20 mg/kg subcutaneously for 9 to 10 weeks, Microscopically P. carinii was observed in the lungs of all 11 treated animals: mild to moderate in five and extensive disease in six. The histopathological features of PCP in the ferret included interstitial pneumonitis, scant mononuclear cell alveolitis, with abundant cysts and trophozoites visible in a focal distribution. There were few neutrophils present. Electron microscopy showed large numbers of both cysts and trophozoites in close association with type I cells. No bacterial pathogens were isolated from the lungs of immunosuppressed animals but an unexplained eosinophilic enteritis was present in treated animals. P carinii pneumonia developed without significant body weight loss during corticosteroid administration, unlike previously described studies using corticosteroid-treated rodents. Ferrets thus appear to be a 'steroid resistant' animal, like man, and therefore a more suitable model for immunological studies of host response to PCP than rodents. This new model also has practical advantages over previously described animal models of PCP, including larger lung and airway size.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Proliferative colitis in a pet ferret.

A 4-month-old male ferret was examined because of mucus-laden diarrhea of several days' duration. The diarrhea became bloody and the ferret became progressively anorexic and lost weight. Treatment with antibiotics did not result in amelioration of clinical signs. A biopsy specimen was obtained from the colon, which was thick and turgid. Proliferative colitis associated with Campylobacter sp infection was diagnosed histologically. Because of the poor prognosis and potential zoonotic hazard associated with Campylobacter, the ferret was euthanatized.

Animals↗
PubMed1987

Response of epithelial cells of the choroid plexus in the ferret model for Reye's syndrome.

The structural integrity of epithelial cells of the lateral choroid plexus tissues from the ferret model for Reye's syndrome was examined by transmission electron microscopy after the animals were inoculated intranasally with influenza B, were administered aspirin, and/or were fed an arginine deficient diet singly and in combination. No cellular alteration in the choroidal epithelium was caused by influenza B nor by aspirin, however, the synthetic diet produced random intercellular edema. The structural integrity of choroidal epithelial cells appeared intact after ferrets were infected with influenza B and were given aspirin in combination. Cellular changes were seen, however, after each of these agents was combined with the presentation of the arginine-deficient diet. Intracytoplasmic vacuoles were observed in tissues of the choroid plexus from animals inoculated with influenza B and fed the arginine-deficient diet. Both intercellular vacuolization and intercellular edema were seen in the choroidal epithelia after ferrets were administered aspirin and were fed the synthetic diet. Such cellular changes observed in the choroidal epithelia in response to the paired presentation of these agents were not as severe as those seen in the choroid plexuses of animals in which all three agents were given in combination. These results support the hypothesis that metabolic events that occur after the administration of these agents collectively impact on epithelial cells of the choroid plexus.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

Use of ferrets in studies of the visual system.

The ferret (Mustela putorius furo) is proving to be an excellent experimental animal for many anatomical and physiological studies of the adult and developing visual system. As a result, the amount of data available on the ferret's visual system is increasing at a rapid rate. The purposes of this paper are to briefly review some of those data and to present some of the reasons why the ferret is an appropriate choice as an experimental animal for visual system studies.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

Localization of measles virus antigens in subacute sclerosing panencephalitis in ferrets.

Young adult male ferrets were inoculated intracerebrally (i.c.) with a cell-associated encephalitogenic subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) virus strain to study the pathogenesis of the disease at the ultrastructural level. Most became acutely ill in 8-13 days. Areas of the brain were examined with indirect immunoperoxidase labeling techniques to detect measles antigen. None of these animals showed the characteristic viral nucleocapsids or marked inflammatory response associated with SSPE. However, all had positive immunolabeling of unstructured virus antigen, especially in post-synaptic regions in all areas of the brain that were examined. One ferret, immunized with measles vaccine 40 days prior to challenge with SSPE, became ill 18 days post inoculation (p.i.). Perivascular cuffings of inflammatory cells and large cytoplasmic inclusions of fuzzy nucleocapsids were found in the brain and spinal cord. The study indicates that ferrets which become acutely ill after inoculation with cell-associated SSPE virus do so before there is a marked cellular immune response or formation of virus nucleocapsids.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

Compendium of recent literature on the ferret.

A survey of research publications since 1977 indicated that the ferret is a rather popular research animal. Using the BIOSIS and MEDLINE data bases, 569 citations of research involving the ferret were identified. Over 27% of these citations involved the use of ferrets in the field of physiology, and an additional 24% of the citations were in virology and immunology. The areas of pharmacology, toxicology and teratology accounted for 10.4, 8.4 and 4.0% of the citations, respectively.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

Androgen and estrogen receptors in perinatal ferret brain.

Using DNA-cellulose affinity chromatography and either 3H-labeled dihydrotestosterone, testosterone, or estradiol, we qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed the androgen- and estrogen-binding activities present in four regions of male and female ferret brain at prenatal, early and late neonatal, and adult ages. The cytosolic androgen- and estrogen-binding activities in ferret brain at all ages studied were qualitatively similar in both sexes and in all brain regions and exhibited characteristics which resemble those of androgen and estrogen receptors from other species, including rodents and nonhuman primates. A developmental analysis indicated that high levels of both androgen and estrogen receptors were present in the hypothalamus-preoptic area as early as 5 days before birth. A significant, transient decline in concentrations of estrogen receptors (approximately 5-fold) occurred in anterior hypothalamus-preoptic area and mediobasal hypothalamus at 12 days of age in both males and females; this phenomenon has not been observed in any other species studied to date. The observed ontogeny of androgen receptors correlates with the known ability of testosterone, acting over postnatal days 5 to 20, to cause coital masculinization in ferrets, whereas the observed postnatal dip in estradiol receptor concentrations correlates with the inability of estradiol to cause coital masculinization or defeminization of receptive behavior in this species.

Aging↗
PubMed1985

Bone marrow hypoplasia associated with estrus in ferrets.

Bone marrow hypoplasia was characterized in a group of female ferrets during prolonged estrus. All ferrets exhibited hematological changes characteristic of various degrees of bone marrow hypoplasia. Hematological findings included initial thrombocytosis and leukocytosis followed by thrombocytopenia, leukopenia and anemia. Platelet counts below 50,000/microliters were observed in 55% of the ferrets. Hemorrhagic anemia due to thrombocytopenia was the most common cause of death and the mortality rate was 40%. Histopathological findings included bone marrow hypoplasia affecting all cell lines and decreased splenic extramedullary hematopoiesis.

Anemia, Aplastic↗
PubMed1979

Ontogeny of the ferret humoral immune response.

Infant ferrets are born with nearly undetectable immunoglobulin levels, but by 9 days of age the infant ferret serum contains 77, 29, and 13% of adult mean serum levels of IgG, IgA, and IgM. Transmucosal uptake of IgG by the infant ferret occurred for the first 30 days of life. The specific anti-respiratory syncytial virus neutralizing titer of whole milk was 5.5 times higher than maternal serum despite a lower concentration of immunoglobulins in the milk.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

The intestine of ferret--a possible site of influenza virus replication.

Anal virus shedding and stimulation of the immune response were observed in ferrets after oral and rectal administration of influenza A/Hongkong/1/68 (H3N2) virus. Despite of the low pH in the stomach, the virus had reached the intestines after oral administration and was found in high concentration in faeces and in mucosal cells lining the colon. Using immunofluorescent staining, the virus antigen was detected in cytoplasm of columnar epithelial cells. Virus replication also occurred in the respiratory tract, probably as result of inhalation of anally shedded virus. However, the virus replication in the lungs did not seem essential for virus isolation from the intestines. Taking into account the very short food passage time in ferrets the results could indicate the replication of influenza A/Hongkong/1/68 virus in the digestive tract of ferrets.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1983

Mastitis caused by hemolytic Escherichia coli in the ferret.

Hemolytic Escherichia coli was isolated from the mammary glands of 8 ferrets with gangrenous mastitis. Clinical signs included firm swelling of one or more mammary glands and discoloration of the overlying skin. Peracute disease and acute septicemia were observed, and in some cases the animals rapidly became moribund. Antibiotic therapy alone did not alter the course of the disease. Wide surgical resection of the involved glands in combination with systemic antibiotic therapy (ampicillin 10 mg/kg, BID, and gentamicin 5 mg/kg, SID) was the most successful treatment. Histopathologic changes included extensive edema, hemorrhage, and necrosis, with a mixed leukocytic infiltrate and large numbers of bacteria. The agent of this disease was isolated from rectal swab specimens from clinically normal ferrets as well as ferrets that had mastitis.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Comparison of monoclonal antibodies with ferret sera for the characterization of influenza A (H3N2) virus strains in a computer system.

A panel of murine monoclonal antibodies was generated against five different influenza A (H3N2) virus strains, isolated between 1977 and 1980. Monoclonal antibodies with defined specificities in haemagglutination inhibition tests for the strains against which they had been raised were selected. Eventually 18 of these were chosen and tested against a large number of recent H3N2 isolates. The results were compared with those obtained with antisera from ferrets immunized with the five strains mentioned above and with similar ferret sera after adsorption with heterologous strains. The serological data obtained with these three panels of antibodies were subjected to a theoretical pattern fitting computer analysis. A good correlation was observed between the results obtained with these three systems. However, the unadsorbed ferret sera proved to be less discriminating whereas the monoclonal antibodies provided additional information which could not be obtained with the other two systems.

Animals↗
PubMed1978

Association of foetal wastage with influenza infection during ferret pregnancy.

Inoculation of influenza virus into pregnant ferrets during the late gestational period was investigated. Foetal resorption followed intracardial inoculation of a large dose of influenza virus (10(9.4) EBID50) and a 100-fold lower dose caused lower litter sizes at birth. The possible role of fever in foetal resorptions was largely discounted by 2 observations: a non-pyrexic dose inoculated intracardially into the pregnant ferret still had detrimental effects on foetal viability; influenza virus inoculated intranasally caused a pyrexia but did not affect the progeny. The potential of the ferret as a model for studying the possible adverse effects of influenza during pregnancy is discussed.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Action of almitrine on the pulmonary vasculature in ferrets and rats.

The action of almitrine on pulmonary vessels was studied under constant ventilation during normoxia and hypoxia. We used ferrets, in which one lobe of lung was perfused with venous blood at constant flow rate in vivo and isolated lungs perfused with blood at constant flow in both ferrets and normal and chronically hypoxic (three weeks in 10% O2) rats. Almitrine caused constriction of the relaxed vessels of normoxic lung. During hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction, when pulmonary artery pressure (Ppa) was raised, almitrine had a dual action; it caused further constriction followed by dilatation over a wide dose range (0.7-118 micrograms X kg-1 in ferrets). Similar effects were seen in normal and chronically hypoxic rats; the latter have narrowed muscularized arterioles like patients with chronic obstructive airways disease. Almitrine caused a larger rise in Ppa in normoxic than hypoxic rat lungs (7.9 instead of 1.7 mmHg; p less than 0.001) and dilatation followed constriction in the latter. Verapamil reduced both the constrictor action of almitrine and hypoxic vasoconstriction and there was a strong correlation between the effect of the two stimuli before and after verapamil (r = 0.9). Attempts to identify a substance which might cause the dilator action of almitrine were unsuccessful.

Almitrine↗
PubMed1984

Role of maternal immunity in the protection of newborn ferrets against infection with a virulent influenza virus.

Intranasal infection of newborn ferrets with a virulent strain of influenza virus invariably resulted in their deaths following virus replication to high titre in both lung and nasal turbinates (Collie et al., 1980). However, a similar challenge of newborn ferrets born to mothers immunized by infection with virulent or attenuated viruses resulted in complete protection; no virus replicated in their lungs and little or no virus was isolated from their nasal turbinates. Protection appeared to be antibody-mediated since it was sub-type-specific and milk-derived since newborn ferrets born to non-immune mothers but fostered onto immune mothers exhibited a similar level of protection to neonates born to and suckled by immune mothers.

Animals↗