Detection of Parvovirus DNA Associated with Enteric Disease in a Domestic Ferret (Mustela putorius furo): A Case Report

Abstract

Parvoviruses infect a broad range of vertebrate and invertebrate hosts. In ferrets (Mustela putorius furo), the best-characterized parvoviral infection is Aleutian disease virus (ADV), which is classified within the genus Amdoparvovirus. Reports of diseases associated with Protoparvovirus infection in domestic ferrets are extremely scarce. A 5-year-old domestic ferret was presented with anorexia, depression, gastroenteritis, hyporexia, hypothermia, and persistent hypoglycemia. Despite receiving supportive treatment, the animal died a few hours after admission. Necropsy and histopathological examination revealed severe enteric lesions and inflammatory changes consistent with gastrointestinal disease. A commercial canine parvovirus (CPV) antigen test yielded a positive result, and parvoviral DNA was also detected by conventional PCR using previously published primers. Because sequencing of the PCR amplicon was not performed, definitive identification of the viral species was not possible. Nevertheless, to further assess the specificity of the assay, an in silico multiple sequence alignment (MSA) was performed, demonstrating conservation of the primer-binding regions across protoparvoviruses and marked divergence from amdoparvoviruses. This case report describes the detection of parvoviral DNA associated with severe enteric disease in a domestic ferret. Although additional studies, including sequencing, are required to characterize the identity of the detected virus, the findings are consistent with a parvoviral infection.