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

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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