Monkeypox virus underscores danger of having exotic pets - Two new cases of illness confirmed

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel ^ | 6/8/03 (June 9th Edition) | By MARILYNN MARCHIONE and SARAH CARR

[stlnative]

Monkeypox virus underscores danger of having exotic pets

Two new cases of illness confirmed

By MARILYNN MARCHIONE and SARAH CARR

mmarchione@journalsentinel.com

Last Updated: June 8, 2003

The human monkeypox outbreak, likely spread by prairie dogs via imported African rats, is the latest example of a danger that health officials have warned of for years: Exotic pets often bring exotic health threats.

Deadly infections, unusual injuries and people getting bored with or overwhelmed by owning such pets and releasing them into the wild have been reported, health and agriculture officials say.

Importing super-exotic pets into the United States, such as Gambian rats that weigh up to 10 pounds and are native to African rain forests, can introduce new germs to a vulnerable population.

"There's just something really wrong about that," said Wisconsin's chief medical officer, epidemiologist Jeffrey P. Davis. If people want a pet, he said, "there are domestic animals that probably will provide more companionship than exotic animals."

Sunday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that the illness that has sickened 18 people in Wisconsin was human monkeypox, a viral disease never seen in the Western Hemisphere outside of labs until now. The CDC had called it a monkeypox-like virus Saturday, but additional tests led them to drop the "like" qualifier Sunday.

One of the 17 Wisconsin cases reported Saturday has been removed, and two new cases from Waukesha County have been added. One is a man admitted Saturday night to Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital in Wauwatosa who is in satisfactory condition.

Additional cases have been reported in Illinois and Indiana, but totals were unavailable.

Victims developed fever, sweats, chills, cough and a blistering rash within two weeks of having contact with a shipment of 25 to 30 infected prairie dogs that may have been in contact with a sick Gambian rat. The prairie dogs were sold at two Milwaukee-area pet stores and at a swap meet in Wausau last month.

At a news conference Sunday, Milwaukee Health Commissioner Seth Foldy asked area residents who have had contact with a prairie dog after April 1 or developed a rash after animal contact to call (414) 286-3606.

Infections involving the transmission of germs from animals to people are called zoonoses and "can be quite serious," Davis said.

He cited the case of a Brown County infant several years ago who was thought to have died of sudden infant death syndrome. Lab tests on the infant's blood revealed a strain of salmonella that is specific to iguanas. Even though the parents said they didn't own one, a review of a home video showed that they previously had, and that the baby had had contact with it, he said.

In a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 1995, the CDC told of a 6-week-old Ohio boy who became infected with salmonella bacteria because his formula was prepared in a sink where a pet turtle's food and water bowls were washed.

Reptiles - iguanas, snakes, lizards and turtles - shed salmonella in their droppings, as do birds, ducks and chicks. Cleaning the cages or aquariums of any of these creatures poses a health hazard, the CDC wrote.

At that time, about 7.3 million pet reptiles were owned by about 3% of U.S. homes, the report says. Wisconsin had at least 13 reptile-related salmonella cases in the first half of that year, most of them involving iguanas but some due to turtles and snakes.

From venomous snakebites to other forms of attack, injuries to humans also are not rare occurrences. Davis said his office has investigated several cases of ferrets attacking babies.

"Infants have an odor reminiscent of young rabbits, and ferrets prey on rabbits," he explained. When they attack babies, "they shred, they use their claws and teeth," he said.

Growing interest in exotics Nichole King, a manager at Milwaukee's Pet World, said while there has always been a "slight interest" in exotic pets, the fascination has escalated in recent years.

Pet World does not carry prairie dogs, said King, although it sells an array of other pets that could be considered exotic, including hedgehogs and degus, a cross between a chinchilla and a gerbil.

Foldy said he did not realize exotic pets had grown so popular.

"Frankly, I was surprised to learn that people were keeping prairie dogs as pets, much less giant Gambian rats," he said.

Officials are still searching for prairie dogs that could be infected with the virus. Because of the outbreak, the state has banned selling, importing, displaying or swapping prairie dogs.

Mike Hoffer, owner of Hoffer's Tropic Life Pets, one of the stores that sold the infected prairie dogs, said buyers of unusual pets have a responsibility to learn about the animals.

"Too often, people purchase an animal and have no idea how to take care of it," he said.

Tastes can be fleeting, he added.

"We have a resurgence now in saltwater fish because of the movie 'Finding Nemo,' " he said.

Joyce Mattmiller, who has worked at Cudahy's Pets 'N Things for 17 years, owns an assortment of dogs, birds, snakes and lizards, including a Peruvian red-tailed boa constrictor, an Argentine red tegu and green iguanas.

"You have to take care of every animal, every day," she said. "I don't think most people research the animal before they buy it. A lot is impulse buying.

That kind of decision-making can lead to owners releasing pets into the wild when they're bored with them, or when they are unsure how or unable to care for them as they grow bigger and sometimes more fierce.

"We've seen this with iguanas. People have them and then realize they do not want them," Davis said. "It is not legal to release them. If they no longer want them, we want them to take them to a veterinarian or a shelter."

Risk and inconvenience to owners aren't the only issues.

In Manitowoc County, a Maribel woman who runs a reptile zoo nearly died after being bitten by one of her poisonous snakes in 1994. She was flown to the former Doyne Hospital in Wauwatosa, where 32 vials of antivenin from zoos in the Midwest were used to save her life, raising concerns about actions of one person jeopardizing the supply of a rare antidote.

Her case led county officials to adopt an ordinance requiring her to keep adequate amounts of antivenin on hand.

[stlnative]

Illinois has also banned the sale, display, and trade of Prairie Dogs - This is the lastest published report on what is going on with it. 2 new cases have been confirmed plus more in Illinois and Indiana, but the numbers are not out yet on how many.

[stlnative]

Note: The monkey pox most likely came from a smuggled in sick Gambian Rat (African Jumbo Gambian Rat) that was also in the shipment with the Prairie Dogs. So far they know the shipment came from Texas and ended up at a exotic pet dealer in Villa Park, IL (Phil's Pocket Pets which has been shut down), he sold the Prairie Dogs to several pets shops/dealers in the midwest.

[stlnative]

Prairie Dogs Are Blamed - New York Times

4 Get Monkeypox Virus From Prairie Dogs

Prairie Dogs

CDC Investigates 19 Cases Of Monkeypox

[chance33_98]

Village plagued by killer ghosts (10 died following internal bleeding from unknown causes) Wondering if this could be something to keep an eye on as well. Hopefully no one was testing something weird in the area....

[lonewacko_dot_com]

The problem is not the prairie dogs, it's the Gambian rats which are to blame. Have you ever seen a prairie dog? Even if you've never cuddled with one, once you see one I'm sure you'd agree they're the best pets ever. I actually have two, Jupiter (I call her Jupe) and Bubbles. Frisky little critters, aren't you, Jupe? Yes, you know you are! Now, Jupe, don't scratch Daddy, you know that's wrong. Jupe, settle DOWN! OH MY GOD GET THIS THING OFF ME... PLEASE, THE BLOOD... I CAN'T SEE... CALL ANIMAL CONTROL FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!..........

[stlnative]

Monkeypox cases confirmed in Midwest

SNIP FROM ARTICLE...

Studies have shown that outbreaks of monkeypox tend to die out in humans as the virus passes through successive waves, or generations, of cases. This contrasts with smallpox, which continues to spread for centuries until the person-to-person chain of transmission is broken.

The CDC urged people to avoid contact with prairie dogs and Gambian rats that have missing patches of fur, rashes or discharges from their eyes or nose, all signs of the illness. The agency also urged people to wash their hands with soap and water after contact with any animal and to warn doctors and hospitals in advance in seeking medical care if they thought they might be infected.

Pet owners were strongly advised to call veterinarians to euthanize any animals suspected of having monkeypox, but only after warning the veterinarians so they can take proper precautions.

Infected people who are being treated outside hospitals should be isolated and should not have guests until scabs from any skin lesions fall off. If no rash develops, isolation is recommended until 10 days after the onset of initial symptoms.

Patients and their household members are advised to use vinyl or latex gloves to handle scabs and to dispose of them in a double plastic garbage bags. The bags should be secured in garbage cans, away from potential contact with animals.

Infected people are advised to sleep alone and to wear surgical masks to reduce risk of transmitting the virus.

Because the monkeypox virus can persist on surfaces and objects, pet owners are advised to clean animal cages and bedding, and to use gloves in doing so.

The disease agency issued no specific treatment recommendations, but scientists are testing an antiviral drug, cidofovir, for its efficacy.

[stlnative]

I am aware that it is Gambian Rats that are the problem, the Prairie Dogs were unfortunately transported with the sick Gambian Rat.

[farmfriend]

Gambian rats that weigh up to 10 pounds and are native to African rain forests,

And I thought Bean was big.

[stlnative]

you are positively a lonewacko ;-) and stop being mean to your Prairie Dogs! ;-)

[stlnative]

Monday, June 9, 2003

Prairie dog virus in West for first time

4 contract smallpox-like illness from prairie dogs; 28 more cases suspected

By Todd Richmond / Associated Press

Prairie dogs, the focus of a monkeypox scare in Madison, Wis., can pass monkeypox from animal to animal and from animal to human.

MADISON, Wis. -- Tests have confirmed that four people in Wisconsin contracted the monkeypox virus after coming into close contact with pet prairie dogs, marking the first time the disease has been discovered in the Western Hemisphere, health officials said Sunday.

The findings at least partially confirm that monkeypox has caused an outbreak of rashes, fevers and chills in people across the upper Midwest since early May.

Fourteen more people in Wisconsin are suspected of suffering from the virus, said Milwaukee Health Commissioner Dr. Seth Foldy. At least 11 more cases in Indiana and three in Illinois are suspected.

The outbreak stems from a batch of prairie dogs that came from a pet distributor in suburban Chicago. It was there that the prairie dogs may have been infected with monkeypox by a Gambian rat -- a creature that is indigenous to African countries.

The virus has been found mostly in western African nations and had never before been seen in the Western Hemisphere.

The human death rate in Africa has ranged from 1 percent to 10 percent, but Foldy said the virus may be less lethal in the United States because people here are typically better nourished and medical technology is far more advanced.

"We have isolation, soap, running water, sterile dressing materials; we have washing machines," Foldy said. "These are all things that have reduced the prevalence of germs that are spreadable by person-to-person contact."

Still, the disease could be almost impossible to control and more people could become infected if it passes into other indigenous North American animals, Foldy said.

Thirteen of the suspected infected people in Wisconsin were around prairie dogs; the other apparently contracted it after handling a sick rabbit that had been around a prairie dog. Foldy said it doesn't appear anyone contracted the virus from another person.

The Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services issued an emergency order Friday banning the sale, importation and display of prairie dogs.

[Sweet_Sunflower29]

"there are domestic animals that probably will provide more companionship than exotic animals."

Exotic is fun...my daughter has a tarantula, my sons have a frog, I have a ferret, (the cats have a warm bed and full tummies) and Mr. S_S29 has the dog.

[Sweet_Sunflower29]

[Pro-Bush]

They don't care Brigette. They are just having fun with you. Try not to be to offended. We all know it's the Gambian Rat's fault!

[stlnative]

[Cindy]

CDC.gov - Press Release: "PUBLIC HEALTH INVESTIGATION UNCOVERS FIRST OUTBREAK OF HUMAN MONKEYPOX INFECTION IN WESTERN HEMISPHERE" (June 7, 2003)

CDC.gov: "MONKEYPOX"

[bullseye1911]

PEOPLE!!! They're RODENTS! (sand rats) and I find them much more entertaining the last nano-second I see them in my scope! Flame-away....

[aristeides]

Ping.

[riri]

I have really come to look at animals in a whole new light.

[Dog Gone]

I guess I'll have to quit making fun of the Chinese for playing with exotic sick animals.

[vetvetdoug]

I deal with ignorant butts on a daily basis concerning exotic pets. 1st, very few people are qualified and intelligent enough to own exotics, much less have the intelligence to use sanitary techniques when handling them. 2nd, few take the time or even care about the proper feeding of the exotics; the majority of cases and sickness in exotics are nutritionally related. 3rd, the majority of exotic owners have this attitude of "the more dangerous or exotic it is, the more desirable". I have seen cougars, bengal tigers, Koatimundi, sugar gliders, hedgehogs, raccoons, all kind off snakes, many different species of birds, iguanas, just to name a few. Most were in bad shape when I saw them. Calling the authorities just pisses them off and most exotic owners are also into other dishonest professions (drugs, methamphetamine etc,)and will retaliate. I personally do not like to see them come in the door even though I used to teach a course at a university about laboratory animals. This event just shows the inherent danger in owning exotics.