- Record: found
- Abstract: not found
- Article: not found
Mycobacterial Infection in the Ferret
January 2012
January 2012
There is no author summary for this article yet. Authors can add summaries to their articles on ScienceOpen to make them more accessible to a non-specialist audience.
Abstract
Mycobacteriosis is an important disease in the feral ferret (Mustela putorius furo)
of New Zealand; elsewhere, reports of tuberculosis in the ferret are sporadic. Genus
Mycobacterium consists of aerobic, non-spore-forming, gram-positive, nonmotile bacteria
that characteristically feature a cell wall rich in mycolic acids and esters. The
epidemiology of mycobacteriosis in the ferrets of New Zealand involves complex interactions
between ferrets, possums, and livestock. Investigators have shown that the ferret
is highly susceptible only to Mycobacterium bovis infection and is more resistant
to infection by other Mycobacterium spp. The principal site of all mycobacterial infection
in the ferret is the gastrointestinal tract.