Is Aleutian disease virus in ferrets contagious to others and will they eventually die?

Answer 1

It is possible for ferrets to be infected for years with ADV before any clinical signs are observed.

Aleutian disease virus is a highly contagious parvovirus that can easily spread through feces, urine, saliva and other body fluids eventually causing death in ferrets, but it also lie dormant in dried urine or on an owner's clothes and shoes for up to two years. Humans can spread ADV through casual contact with multiple ferrets from from ferret shows and shelters. ADV positive ferrets should be isolated as suspected carriers of the disease and should not be taken to places where they may come in contact with other ferrets. They also should not be allowed to run on floors or other areas where uninfected ferrets or their owners may come in contact with residual traces of the virus from the infected animals.

Ferrets may contract the virus but never develop clinical signs of ADV. An ADV positive ferret, that appears clinically normal, has the potential to shed the virus at anytime.There is no accurate way of determining if or when a ferret that has been exposed to ADV will develop disease. No prediction can be made as to the severity or type of clinical signs that may be manifested. It is important to note that historically the majority of ferrets that have been exposed to ADV never developed obvious clinical signs of the disease. Some ferrets may be carriers of the virus for years before developing clinical signs. Some ferrets may even revert to a "negative" ADV status based on blood testing after a period of time. 10 It is wrong to make the assumption that a clinically normal ferret that is positive on testing for ADV will automatically die from this disease at some time. Source: veterinarypartner.com

The Aleutian disease virus lays dormant in ferrets until stress or injury allows it to surface. While the parvovirus itself causes little or no harm to the ferret host, the large number of antibodies produced in response to the presence of the virus results in a systemic vasculitis, resulting in eventual renal failure, bone marrow suppression and death. The symptoms are chronic, progressive weight loss, lethargy, hepatomegaly and/or enlarged spleen, anemia, rear leg weakness, seizures and black tarry stool. Once symptoms show themselves, the disease progresses rapidly, usually to death within a few months.

Source: wikipedia