10-30-2003 House Cats, Ferrets Can Get SARS
"You might want to quarantine the pets as well as the people" in the event of an outbreak, suggested Dr. Robert Shope, an expert on emerging diseases at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. "If it's been shown that the virus can transmit from cat to cat, it doesn't take much of a leap of faith that it will transmit to humans."
Researchers discovered the vulnerability of cats and ferrets to SARS while searching for animals to test potential vaccines.
10-26-2003 Bloody Animal Trade Thrives in China
Two little boys giggle as they play hide and seek among hundreds of filthy cages packed tight with civet cats, dogs, porcupines and squirrels.
Amid the stench of death and decay, traders of exotic animals -- a culinary delight for many southern Chinese.
Narrow passageways are strewn with animal dung, urine, entrails and grimy fodder.
A few steps away, men with iron pipes clubbed a dog unconscious and slit its throat. Others squatted around another dead dog, plucking it clean of hair with their bare fingers.
China banned the wild animal trade and shut the markets in May, around the time that scientists in Hong Kong identified viruses in a civet cat and raccoon dog that were almost identical to the SARS virus that had infected more than 8,000 people around the world, killing more than 700 of them.
The civet cat has long been highly prized for its tender meat, which is reputed to help blood circulation, but there are growing signs that more Chinese believe it could pose a health threat.
A recent study in Guangzhou found SARS antibodies in about 13 percent of animal traders, indicating that they had been exposed to the virus. One of many unanswered questions about SARS is whether people with mild or no symptoms can infect others.
"You might want to quarantine the pets as well as the people" in the event of an outbreak, suggested Dr. Robert Shope, an expert on emerging diseases at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. "If it's been shown that the virus can transmit from cat to cat, it doesn't take much of a leap of faith that it will transmit to humans."
Researchers discovered the vulnerability of cats and ferrets to SARS while searching for animals to test potential vaccines.
10-26-2003 Bloody Animal Trade Thrives in China
Two little boys giggle as they play hide and seek among hundreds of filthy cages packed tight with civet cats, dogs, porcupines and squirrels.
Amid the stench of death and decay, traders of exotic animals -- a culinary delight for many southern Chinese.
Narrow passageways are strewn with animal dung, urine, entrails and grimy fodder.
A few steps away, men with iron pipes clubbed a dog unconscious and slit its throat. Others squatted around another dead dog, plucking it clean of hair with their bare fingers.
China banned the wild animal trade and shut the markets in May, around the time that scientists in Hong Kong identified viruses in a civet cat and raccoon dog that were almost identical to the SARS virus that had infected more than 8,000 people around the world, killing more than 700 of them.
The civet cat has long been highly prized for its tender meat, which is reputed to help blood circulation, but there are growing signs that more Chinese believe it could pose a health threat.
A recent study in Guangzhou found SARS antibodies in about 13 percent of animal traders, indicating that they had been exposed to the virus. One of many unanswered questions about SARS is whether people with mild or no symptoms can infect others.
Facebook
Twitter