THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, October 26, 1996 TAG: 9610260466
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: Anne Saita
LENGTH: 63 lines
Sarah Mathis-Weeks and her husband, Scott Mathis, thought it a great idea to incorporate timber from an ancient building into their new house now under construction in Weeksville, south of Elizabeth City.
The plan was simple: disassemble an old potato barn, dress down the lumber and reuse it for the interior.
It would be time-consuming but save the couple a lot of money and give the house a little more character.
And it would have worked, too, were it not for one thing: pigeon poop.
Like a lot of old barns around here, this one's loft was loaded with bird droppings. The couple and Sarah's parents, who helped with the project, thought nothing of it.
Then in July the couple's ferret, Bear, became ill. This was a few months after everyone had begun devoting weekends to the dismantling.
``One day he was fine, and the next day he was sick,'' Sarah said. ``Ferrets do that. When they become ill, it's a very rapid process.''
Sarah, who works as a graphics artist for The Virginian-Pilot in Elizabeth City, took Bear to local veterinarian Darlene Lannon.
Lannon thought it might be cancer and did a biopsy, which came up negative.
Next, a foreign object was thought to be the culprit, and an ``upper G.I.'' was performed. The X-rays came back clean.
Lots of blood was taken, revealing nothing out of the ordinary.
While Lannon researched the mysterious illness in Elizabeth City, Sarah took Bear to a Virginia Beach veterinarian who specializes in exotic animals.
He was stumped, too, and contacted a ferret expert in California, who also was baffled.
Then one day Lannon called the Mathises to say she'd found an answer. The animal had a rare fungal infection called cryptococcosis.
The fungus is found in soil and pigeon droppings and can be life-threatening among those with low immune systems, such as people infected with HIV, undergoing cancer chemotherapy or suffering from Hodgkin's disease.
It could mean bad news for ferrets, too. ``It was just breaking my heart to see the animal go down like that, so I asked her to put him to sleep,'' Sarah said.
An autopsy confirmed that Bear had cryptococcosis, likely acquired by inhaling the fungus while scurrying along the floor where soiled shoes had been left.
In humans, symptoms include chest pain, headache, dry cough, fatigue, blurred vision, abdominal pain, weight loss, numbness and tingling, among many other signs.
The disease is treatable, but it's also potentially fatal. Because it's contagious, Sarah and Scott had to have chest X-rays taken to ensure they were not infected.
The couple spent close to $1,000 on veterinarian and medical bills.
Sarah said it was worth the unexpected expenses to find out the danger lurking in the wood, though she's still grieving over Bear.
The two hope to help other pet owners through an article on the case that the Virginia Beach vet, David Morris, is writing for a trade journal.
They also want to warn other people of the dangers when rummaging around pigeon-infested barns and buildings.
``Be careful what you might bring into the house, especially if you have small children,'' Sarah said. ``Unknowingly, you can pick up the pigeon poop on your shoes and bring it into the house.''
And, as Sarah and Scott can attest, it could cost you dearly. by CNB