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Vet Pathol 39:173-179 (2002)
© 2002 American College of Veterinary Pathologists

Hepatobiliary Inflammation, Neoplasia, and Argyrophilic Bacteria in a Ferret Colony

A. García, S. E. Erdman, S. Xu, Y. Feng, A. B. Rogers, M. D. Schrenzel, J. C. Murphy and J. G. Fox

Division of Comparative Medicine, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA

Hepatobiliary disease was diagnosed in eight of 34 genetically unrelated cohabitating pet ferrets (Mustela putorios furo) during a 7-year period. The eight ferrets ranged in age from 5 to 8 years and exhibited chronic cholangiohepatitis coupled with cellular proliferation ranging from hyperplasia to frank neoplasia. Spiral-shaped argyrophilic bacteria were demonstrated in livers of three ferrets, including two with carcinoma. Sequence analysis of a 400-base pair polymerase chain reaction product amplified from DNA derived from fecal bacteria from one ferret demonstrated 98% and 97% similarity to Helicobacter cholecystus and Helicobacter sp. strain 266-11, respectively. The clustering of severe hepatic disease in these cohabitating ferrets suggests a possible infectious etiology. The role of Helicobacter species and other bacteria in hepatitis and/or neoplasia in ferrets requires further study.

Key words: Argyrophilic bacteria; cholangiocellular carcinoma; cholangiohepatitis; ferrets; hepatobiliary disease; histopathology; PCR.

Request reprints from Dr. A. García, Division of Comparative Medicine, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue 16-820, Cambridge, MA 02139 (USA). E-mail: agarcia{at}mit.edu.




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A. B. Rogers, S. R. Boutin, M. T. Whary, N. Sundina, Zhongming Ge, K. Cormier, and J. G. Fox
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[Abstract] [PDF]


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