Biology and Diseases of the Ferret

Biology and Diseases of the Ferret, Third Edition has been thoroughly revised and updated to provide a current, comprehensive reference on the ferret. Encyclopedic in scope, it is the only book to focus on the characteristics that make the ferret an important research animal, with detailed information on conditions, procedures, and treatments. Offering basic information on biology, husbandry, clinical medicine, and surgery, as well as unique information on the use of ferrets in biomedical research, Biology and Diseases of the Ferret is an essential resource for investigators using ferrets in the laboratory and for companion animal and comparative medicine veterinarians.

The Third Edition adds ten completely new chapters, covering regulatory considerations, black-footed ferret recovery, diseases of the cardiovascular system, viral respiratory disease research, morbillivirus research, genetic engineering, hearing and auditory function, vision and neuroplasticity research, nausea and vomiting research, and lung carcinogenesis research.  Additionally, the anesthesia, surgery, and biomethodology chapter has been subdivided into three and thoroughly expanded. The book also highlights the ferret genome project, along with the emerging technology of genetically engineered ferrets, which is of particular importance to the future of the ferret as an animal model in research and will allow the investigation of diseases and their genetic basis in a small, easily maintained, non-rodent species.

James G. Fox, DVM, MS, DACLAM, is Professor and Director at MIT’s Division of Comparative Medicine, as well as Chair of ACLAM’s publications committee. He is also an Adjunct Professor at Tufts University’s Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine and at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine.

Robert P. Marini, DVM, DACLAM, is Assistant Director and Chief of Veterinary Surgical Resources at MIT’s Division of Comparative Medicine and Lecturer in Health, Science and Technology, also at MIT.

Contributors ix

Preface xv

Section I Biology and Husbandry 3

Chapter 1 Taxonomy, History, and Use 5
James G. Fox

Chapter 2 Anatomy of the Ferret 23
Howard Evans and Nguyen Quoc An

Chapter 3 Neuroanatomy of the Ferret Brain with Focus on the Cerebral Cortex 69
Christopher D. Kroenke, Brian D. Mills, Jaime F. Olavarria, and Jeffrey J. Neil

Chapter 4 Physiology of the Ferret 81
Mark T. Whary

Chapter 5 Nutrition of the Ferret 123
James G. Fox, Carrie S. Schultz, and Brittany M. Vester Boler

Chapter 6 Housing and Management 145
James G. Fox and Rosemary Broome

Chapter 7 Normal Clinical and Biological Parameters 157
James G. Fox

Chapter 8 Growth and Reproduction 187
James G. Fox, Judith A. Bell, and Rosemary Broome

Chapter 9 Regulatory Considerations 211
Robert P. Marini

Chapter 10 Recovery of the Black-Footed Ferret 219
Rachel Santymire, Heather Branvold-Faber, and Paul E. Marinari

Section II Diseases and Clinical Applications 233

Chapter 11 Physical Examination, Preventive Medicine, and Diagnosis in the Ferret 235
Robert P. Marini

Chapter 12 Anesthesia 259
Jeff C. Ko and Robert P. Marini

Chapter 13 Surgery 285
Stephen J. Mehler

Chapter 14 Diseases of the Hematopoietic System 311
Jörg Mayer, Susan E. Erdman, and James G. Fox

Chapter 15 Diseases of the Genitourinary System 335
James G. Fox and Judith A. Bell

Chapter 16 Diseases of the Gastrointestinal System 363
Kirk J. Maurer and James G. Fox

Chapter 17 Diseases of the Endocrine System 377
Cassandra L. Miller, Robert P. Marini, and James G. Fox

Chapter 18 Diseases of the Cardiovascular System 401
Robert A. Wagner

Chapter 19 Other Systemic Diseases 421
James G. Fox

Chapter 20 Viral Diseases of Ferrets 439
Matti Kiupel and David Perpiñán

Chapter 21 Bacterial and Mycoplasmal Diseases 519
Alton G. Swennes and James G. Fox

Chapter 22 Parasitic Diseases 553
Mary M. Patterson, James G. Fox, and Mark L. Eberhard

Chapter 23 Mycotic Diseases 573
James G. Fox

Chapter 24 Neoplastic Diseases 587
James G. Fox, Sureshkumar Muthupalani, Matti Kiupel, and Bruce Williams

Section III Research and Applications 627

Chapter 25 The Ferret in Viral Respiratory Disease Research 629
Deborah R. Taylor

Chapter 26 The Ferret in Morbillivirus Research 641
Veronika von Messling

Chapter 27 Use of the Ferret in Cardiovascular Research 653
James P. Morgan

Chapter 28 Genetic Engineering in the Ferret 665
Xingshen Sun, Ziying Yan, Xiaoming Liu, Alicia K. Olivier, and John F. Engelhardt

Chapter 29 Hearing and Auditory Function in Ferrets 685
Fernando R. Nodal and Andrew J. King

Chapter 30 The Ferret as a Model for Visual System Development and Plasticity 711
Jitendra Sharma and Mriganka Sur

Chapter 31 The Ferret in Nausea and Vomiting Research: Lessons in Translation of Basic Science to the Clinic 735
Nathalie Percie du Sert and Paul L.R. Andrews

Chapter 32 The Ferret in Lung Carcinogenesis and Nutritional Chemoprevention Research 779
Xiang-Dong Wang and Chun Liu

Index 795

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