On Sun, 11 Feb 2001, suegreen wrote:
> Whilst bacterial, fungal and amoebal diseases are not host specific,
> as I understand it, viruses are. That is not to say that they cannot
> cross species, but this involves some mutation and is the exception
> rather than the rule. When viruses do cross species, the result is
> usually spectacular as in HIV and swine flu and the 1999 outbreak of
> chicken flu (which luckily proved not to be that contagious in humans
> and so a possible pandemic was contained).
Sometimes it's not quite so dramatic. Ferrets can catch human flu (not
colds), confirmed by the foremost ferret vet/pathologist currently
recognized. It's not usually a huge deal when they do -- they just feel
miserable.
Michelle
Flutist
