Exotics: Rabbits Infectious Diseases Flashcards
What kind of virus causes myxomatosis?
Leporipoxvirus
Introduced into Europe in 1952
How does myxomatosis spread between rabbits?
- Direct contact
- Inhalation
- Biting arthropods (fleas, mosquitoes, cheyletiella mites)
What does clinical disease depends on?
What are the clinical signs?
Clinical disease
* Viral strain
* Season (vectors life cycle)
* Environmental temperature (cold)
* Age (maternal ABs 4-5 weeks)
* Immune function
* Vaccination status
Clinical signs
* Eyelid thickening and purulent eye discharge
* Nodules on ears, lips, nares, eyelids, external genitalia
* Occasional pneumonic signs
* Infertility
* Death by starvation
What is shope fibroma?
Different leporipoxvirus
Naturally infects american rabbit species
Induced self-limiting fibromas/fibromatosis
Cross-immunity against myxomatosis
What is the treatment for myxomatosis?
How is it prevented?
Trreatment- euthanasia
Prevention:
Vaccination- from 5 weeks
External parasite control
Avoid contact with wild rabbits
- What type of virus causes viral haemorrhagic disease?
- How is it transmitted?
- How does it cause disease/death?
- Calcivirus
- Urine, faeces, aerosols, biting insects
- Liver- initial replication inside hepatocytes
Necrotising hepatitis- DIC and acute liver failure
DIC causes fibrinous thrombi (lungs, heart, kidneys) leading to haemorrhage and organ failure
What are the clinical signs?
How is it diagnosed?
Clinical signs
* Sudden death
* Fever
* Increased RR
* Collapse, hypotension
* Neurological signs
* Haemorrhages
* In rabbits > 4 weeks
* Younger rabbits resistant to infection
Diagnosis
* Clinical signs
* Gross path: severe necrotising hepatitis, enlarged spleen, haemorrhages
* Histology
* PCR
What is the treatment and prevention for rabbits against viral haemorrhagic disease?
Treatment- Euthanasia
Young rabbits under 4 weeks can survive infection
Prevention:
Vaccination against VHD-1 and 2
From 5 weeks of age
Yearly boosters
What are the 3 conditions papillomatosis can refer to?
- Shope papillomavirus- can cause SCC-like neoplasia in domestic rabbits
- Oral papillomavirus- benign wart-like growths in the oral mucosa, self-limiting
- Ano-rectal papillomatosis- not viral induced. Cauliflower masses that bleed easily
- What causes the disease ‘snuffles’
- What causes pathogenicity
- Pasturella multocida
- Several strains
* primary inimmunosupressed,
* secondary in abscesses
* Can avoid phagocytosis, complement and other defences
* Endotoxin production
* Adhesion and filaments help infect hosts cells
What can cause an outbreak of pasturellosis?
- Subclinical URT infection
- Transmitted within a group- direct contact, aerosols
- Stress immunosuppresion- overcrowding, pregnancy/lactation, poor husbandry, nutritional deficiencies
- Ccauses clinical signs- spreads to other tissues- resp tract, tympanic bullae
What are the clinical signs of pasturellosis in rabbits?
- Rhinitis ‘snuffles’
- Pneumonia
- Genital infections
- Wounds and abscesses
- Dacryocystitis
- Otitis media/interna
How is pasturellosis in rabbits diagnosed?
Challening
Culture and sensitivity- deep nasal swab performed under sedation/GA
Serology- doesn’t indicate an active infection
PCR
How can pasturellosis be managed?
- Reduce stress and overcrowding
- Improve husbandry
- Increase ventilation
- Avoid temperature fluctuations
- Isolate symptomatic rabbits
- Antibiotics based on C&S + supportive + treat specific problems
- What causes ‘rabbit syphillis’?
- How is it transmited?
- How does it present?
- What is required for a definitive diagnosis?
- What are DDXs?
- How is it treated?
- Treponema paraluiscuniculi
- Sexual transmission, vertical transmission
- Nodes, crusty lesions that can ulcerate- vulva/prepuce, lips and nostils
- Histo and silver stains
- Myxomatosis, ano-rectal papillomatosis
- Penicillin SC at weekly intervals
Rabbits
- What possible agensts are involved in bacterial enteritis?
- What can be other causes of diarrhoea?
- Several possible agents- tyzzer’s disease, clostridial entorotoxaemia, salmonella, E. coli, Campylobacter
- Other causes: Coccidiosis, Diet changes, Dysbiosis
- What age of rabbits are mostly affected by Tyzzer’s disease?
- What are the main pathological findings?
- What is it often secondary to and how is it diagnosed?
- Mostly young 6-12 weeks
- Acute phase: diarrhoea, sudden death
Chronic: intestinal fibrosis/stenosis, liver necrosis - Secondary to stress- Serology?, PCR?
- What toxins do clostridial enterotoxaemia produce?
- What are the main causes?
- Iota toxin
- Diets rich in starch- caecum overload
Stress
Antibiotics- specially if administered PO (B-lactams, clindamycin, streptomycin, erythromycin)
- What is the approach to a rabbit with diarrhoea?
- What should be taken for the minimum patient database?
Diarrhoea
1. Fluid therapy- SC or IV depending on severity
2. Diet managment- high fiber, low sugar/starch
3. Antibiotics- fluoroquinoles, metronidazole
4. Other medication: analgesics, cholestryamine, maropitant
Minimum patient database:
* Weight
* Dehydration %
* Temperature
* Gut sounds
* Blood glucose
* Routine faecal testing
Rabbits
- What are the two presentations of coccidiosis?
- What are the clinical signs of each?
- What are the risk factors?
- Intestinal coccidiosis (13 different sp), Hepatic coccidiosis (E. stiedae)
- Intestinal coccidiosis- Diarrhoea and weight loss
Hepatic- Diarrhoea, weight loss, heptomegaly and jaundice, higher mortality - Groups, Age
How is coccidiosis in rabbits treated?
What can also be considered?
Treatment:
* TMP and Sulfas
* Toltrazuril
Consider:
* Supportive care
* Diet managment
* Reduce stress/improve husbandry
Intestinal- rabbits become immune
Hepatic- chronic/permanent changes
What internal parasites can more uncommonly infect rabbits?
Oxyurids- passalurus ambiguus
* Commensal
* Can cause problems in young rabbits
* Can be controlled with any wormer
Tapeworms- rabbits are intermediate hosts
* Cysticercus pisiformis- peritoneal cavity, liver
* Coenurus serialis- SC tissues
* Echinococcus granulosus
What external parasites can infect rabbits?
- Fleas- cat and dogs more common
- Lice- haemodipsus ventricosus occasionally
- Mites-
Ear mites- psoroptes cuniculis
Skin mites- Cheyletiella parasitovorax
Fur mites- Leporacarus gibbus
- How are external parasites in rabbits diagnosed?
- What are mites secondary to?
- How are they treated?
- Identical to Small (skin scrapes, skin strips)
- Inability to groom- dental disease, arthritis, spinal disease. Immunosupression
- Imidaclopride, selamectin, moxidectin
Do not use Fipronil in rabbits
- What flies cause fly strike
- What are the commonly affected areas in rabbits?
- What are the risk factors?
- Maggots of Lucilia sp and Calliphora sp
- Tale base and perineum
- Outdoor, higher temperatures, soiled skin, overweight, difficulty grooming, uneaten caecotrophs
How is flystrike managed in rabbits?
Euthanasia in severe cases
Remove maggots:
* Sedation
* Clip and manually remove
* Ivermectin SC
* Bathe in dilute iodine solution
* Dry affected areas with blow dryer
Analgesia- Meloxicam ± buprenorphine
Supportive care: fluids, gut motility stimulants, ABs if secondary infection
How can flystrike be prevented in rabbits?
Cyromazine- licensed
Inspect rabbits twice daily during risk season
Clip any mats
Provide good husbandry, hygiene and diet
Regular health checks- early detection of risk factors
- What causes encephalitozoonosis in rabbits?
- When do clinical signs develop?
- How is it transmitted?
- Encepalitozoon cuniculi- microsporidia
- Intracellular obligate parasite- clinical signs develop when infected cells rupture with spored
- Inhalation/ingestion of spored shed mostly in urine, vertical
- What clinical signs can present with encephalitozoonosis?
- How much of the population is likely to be infected?
- Neurological presentation, eye lesions, chronic kidney disease
- 50%- most sub-clinical/non-infectious
How can a rabbit with encephalitozoonosis present with neurological signs?
- Head tilt
- Nystagmus
- Facial paralysis
- Pareses/paralysis
- Muscle weakness
- Seizures
What eye lesions and signs of CKD may rabbits get with encephalitozoonosis?
Eye lesions-
* Phacoclastic uveitis
* Lens opacity/rupture
* Cataracts
CKD
* PUPD
* Urine scald
* Progressive weight loss
* Supported by biochemistry/haematology
How is E. cuniculi diagnosed?
Challenging
Clinical signs not enough
Serology:
* IgM- indicate recent/active infection
* IgG- indicate chronic infection or previous exposure
* Always interpret restuls with other tests and CS
PCR- urine or faeces- shedding spores intermittent
Try radiography, biochem and haematology
How is E. cuniculi treated?
Fembendazole
SE- bone marrow supression
Only treat with confirmed cases or high suspicion
Anti-inflams- NSAIDS, corticosteroid contraindicated (immunosupression)
Antibiotics- fluoroquinolones, doxycycline
What additional care may be required for E. Cuniculi?
Ocular lesions: eye drops with NSAIDS, enucleation
Seizures/rolling: Midazolam
Supportive care: syringe feeding, fluids, padded cages, monitor eyes for keratitis
What are the possible outcomes of E. cuniculi?
- Recovery- likely to remain sub-clinical
- Neurodefecits- mild head tilt
- Enucleation- cope well post-op
- CKD- managment and monitoring
- Euthanasia
How is E. cuniculi prevented?
- Serological testing and separating positives/negatives
- Strict hygiene
- Prophylactic fembendazole
- Improve husbandry and diet
- Reduce overcrowding
