Mycobacterium genavense infection in two aged ferrets with conjunctival lesions

Mycobacterium genavense infection was diagnosed in two adult ferrets. Disse minated mycobacteriosis was diagnosed in a castrated 5-year-old sable ferre t with generalised peripheral lymph node enlargement and a proliferative le sion of the conjunctiva of the nictitating membrane. The diagnosis was base d on characteristic cytology and sequence analysis of the 16S rRNA gene amp lified using the polymerase chain reaction from fresh biopsy material. Ther apy with rifampicin, clofazimine and clarithromycin probably cured the infe ction. An entire 4-year-old female ferret with conjunctival swelling, serou s ocular discharge and swelling of the subcutaneous tissues of the nasal br idge was diagnosed as having M genavense infection on the basis of typical cytology, histopathology and sequence analysis of 16S rRNA amplicons from f ormalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue. This patient was treated successful ly using rifampicin. Both ferrets subsequently died as a result of other di sease conditions, 10 and 4 months following initiation of therapy, respecti vely. This is the first report documenting M genavense as a cause of dissem inated mycobacterial disease in ferrets. Conjunctival involvement may be a feature of disseminated mycobacteriosis in the ferret. The possibility that these infections were the consequence of a ferret retrovirus infection sho uld be considered further.