Aleutian Disease in Mink

Aleutian disease (AD) was first described in farm-raised mink in 1956. The disease was so named because it was first found in mink with the Aleutian coat colour gene. It has since been demonstrated that all colour phases of mink are susceptible to the disease, however, marked differences in the average severity of the disease have been noted. The disease is recognized throughout the world and is presently the most important infectious disease affecting farm-raised mink. (S)

Mink facilities are scattering them around the area in an effort to minimize the spread Aleutian disease (AD). Aleutian Disease (also ADV, for Aleutian Disease Virus) is a highly contagious parvovirus affecting mustelids, causing spontaneous abortion and death in mink, ferrets otters and other members of the weasel family both wild and domesticated.

Weymouth Consolidated School

Home of 2ND largest Aleutian Disease testing lab in the world.

http://www.tcrsb.ca/tcrsb/root/schools/schoolpic/weymouth.jpg

I realize that virus research labs are present in universities and hospitals, but to have it housed in the same building as elementary age kids!. I also realize that there are very few cases of Aleutian disease spreading to humans. Is this the only disease that could be brought into the school? Are regulations so slack that a similar lab could be set up in any school? What closed door politicics ordered this to happen? For those of you who think there is more than one department in the political system think again!

Mink breeders association blazes trail to new home: Published on March 10, 2008
Quote: "Recently, Tri-County Regional School Board was instructed by the Department of Education to turn over the remaining vacant senior wing to the Municipality of Digby, which then transferred the six rooms to the mink breeders’ association for the value of building the access road. "(S)

Read and reread the above paragraph until you comprehend the enormity of the political and social implications and the process that must have transpired to achieve this end. Sadly the decision may have been made over a cup of "tea".

There is not much internet information on the lab, it is "under the cone of silence" Some guy may have been frustrated {Stolen vehicle damages gate at Weymouth lab: Published on June 23, 2008} but that is about it until this young mother who fears for the health on her children. "The Bronwin file"

	Link	Description
1.	Aleutian Disease in Mink	Aleutian disease (AD) was first described in farm-raised mink in 1956. The disease was so named because it was first found in mink with the Aleutian coat colour gene. It has since been demonstrated that all colour phases of mink are susceptible to the disease, however, marked differences in the average severity of the disease have been noted. The disease is recognized throughout the world and is presently the most important infectious disease affecting farm-raised mink. Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Link: http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/livestock/alternat/facts/10-093.htm
2.	Aleutian Mink Disease Virus and Humans	Reports of a possible relationship between Aleutian mink disease parvovirus (AMDV) and human infection are rare. However, 2 mink farmers with vascular ... Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
3.	Aleutian Disease Exposure in Wild Mink	American mink (Neovison vison) populations across Canada appear to be declining, but factors thus far explored have not fully explained this population trend. Recent research has shown, however, that domestic mink are escaping from mink farms and hybridizing with wild mink.
4.	Aleutian disease virus in the mosquito	Observations showed that the mosquito,Aedes fitchii (Felt andYoung), readily feeds on mink. Injection of homogenized mosquitoes, held for various periods after an infectious blood meal, into susceptible mink revealed that this mosquito retained Aleutian disease (AD) virus for 35 days More... GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION: Aedes fitchii is a mosquito of the northern United States and Southern portion of Canada. (S)
5.	Nova Scotia Mink Blog	One of the burning questions about the AD virus has been whether or not composting can effectively inactivate the virus. Attached are links to 3 more AD articles, this time focussing specifically on composting and the temperatures required to inactivate this persistent virus. Conclusions: Composting did not completely kill the AD virus even at the hottest spots of the compost bins.
6	Aleutian mink disease virus in furbearing mammals in Nova Scotia, Canada	samples were detected in 56 of 60 (93.3%) American mink, 43 of 61 (70.5%) short-tailed weasels, 2 of 8 (25.0%) striped skunks, 2 of 11 (18.2%) North American river otters, 9 of 85 (10.6%) raccoons, and 2 of 20 (10.0%) bobcats. Samples from six fishers, 24 coyotes, 25 red foxes, 58 beavers, 45 red-squirrels and 59 muskrats were negative.
	Development of a Method for the Detection of Aleutian Mink Disease Virus in Water Samples	The origin of the virus, whether ranch or wild, is not known, but transmission from wild animals to ranch animals is a suspected cause of re-infection (Oie et al., 1996). The virus has also been detected in wild animals, including raccoons (Oie et al., 1996), otters (Manas et al., 2001) polecats, stone martens, pine martens, genets (Fournier-Chambrillon et al., 2004) and skunks (Allender et al., 2008). Bacterial indicators are frequently used to measure water quality. Although feces is a source of both bacteria and viruses, measures such as total coliforms are not adequate to infer viral safety as they do not measure, nor do they have a relationship to, the presence of viruses(reviewed in Bosch 1998; Fong and Lipp, 2005). There were no correlations found between total coliforms, fecal coliforms or enterococci and the presence of human adenoviruses (Jiang et al., 2001)

Link to information on "MINK DISEASES"
Mink Diseases 40 page book PDF

Aleutian Mink Disease Virus and Humans