Exotics: Rabbits Infectious Diseases Flashcards

1
Q

What kind of virus causes myxomatosis?

A

Leporipoxvirus
Introduced into Europe in 1952

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2
Q

How does myxomatosis spread between rabbits?

A
  • Direct contact
  • Inhalation
  • Biting arthropods (fleas, mosquitoes, cheyletiella mites)
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3
Q

What does clinical disease depends on?
What are the clinical signs?

A

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

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4
Q

What is shope fibroma?

A

Different leporipoxvirus
Naturally infects american rabbit species
Induced self-limiting fibromas/fibromatosis
Cross-immunity against myxomatosis

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5
Q

What is the treatment for myxomatosis?
How is it prevented?

A

Trreatment- euthanasia
Prevention:
Vaccination- from 5 weeks
External parasite control
Avoid contact with wild rabbits

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6
Q
  1. What type of virus causes viral haemorrhagic disease?
  2. How is it transmitted?
  3. How does it cause disease/death?
A
  1. Calcivirus
  2. Urine, faeces, aerosols, biting insects
  3. 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
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7
Q

What are the clinical signs?
How is it diagnosed?

A

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

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8
Q

What is the treatment and prevention for rabbits against viral haemorrhagic disease?

A

Treatment- Euthanasia
Young rabbits under 4 weeks can survive infection

Prevention:
Vaccination against VHD-1 and 2
From 5 weeks of age
Yearly boosters

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9
Q

What are the 3 conditions papillomatosis can refer to?

A
  • 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
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10
Q
  1. What causes the disease ‘snuffles’
  2. What causes pathogenicity
A
  1. Pasturella multocida
  2. Several strains
    * primary inimmunosupressed,
    * secondary in abscesses
    * Can avoid phagocytosis, complement and other defences
    * Endotoxin production
    * Adhesion and filaments help infect hosts cells
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11
Q

What can cause an outbreak of pasturellosis?

A
  • 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
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12
Q

What are the clinical signs of pasturellosis in rabbits?

A
  1. Rhinitis ‘snuffles’
  2. Pneumonia
  3. Genital infections
  4. Wounds and abscesses
  5. Dacryocystitis
  6. Otitis media/interna
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13
Q

How is pasturellosis in rabbits diagnosed?

A

Challening
Culture and sensitivity- deep nasal swab performed under sedation/GA
Serology- doesn’t indicate an active infection
PCR

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14
Q

How can pasturellosis be managed?

A
  • Reduce stress and overcrowding
  • Improve husbandry
  • Increase ventilation
  • Avoid temperature fluctuations
  • Isolate symptomatic rabbits
  • Antibiotics based on C&S + supportive + treat specific problems
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15
Q
  1. What causes ‘rabbit syphillis’?
  2. How is it transmited?
  3. How does it present?
  4. What is required for a definitive diagnosis?
  5. What are DDXs?
  6. How is it treated?
A
  1. Treponema paraluiscuniculi
  2. Sexual transmission, vertical transmission
  3. Nodes, crusty lesions that can ulcerate- vulva/prepuce, lips and nostils
  4. Histo and silver stains
  5. Myxomatosis, ano-rectal papillomatosis
  6. Penicillin SC at weekly intervals
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16
Q

Rabbits

  1. What possible agensts are involved in bacterial enteritis?
  2. What can be other causes of diarrhoea?
A
  1. Several possible agents- tyzzer’s disease, clostridial entorotoxaemia, salmonella, E. coli, Campylobacter
  2. Other causes: Coccidiosis, Diet changes, Dysbiosis
17
Q
  1. What age of rabbits are mostly affected by Tyzzer’s disease?
  2. What are the main pathological findings?
  3. What is it often secondary to and how is it diagnosed?
A
  1. Mostly young 6-12 weeks
  2. Acute phase: diarrhoea, sudden death
    Chronic: intestinal fibrosis/stenosis, liver necrosis
  3. Secondary to stress- Serology?, PCR?
18
Q
  1. What toxins do clostridial enterotoxaemia produce?
  2. What are the main causes?
A
  1. Iota toxin
  2. Diets rich in starch- caecum overload
    Stress
    Antibiotics- specially if administered PO (B-lactams, clindamycin, streptomycin, erythromycin)
19
Q
  1. What is the approach to a rabbit with diarrhoea?
  2. What should be taken for the minimum patient database?
A

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

20
Q

Rabbits

  1. What are the two presentations of coccidiosis?
  2. What are the clinical signs of each?
  3. What are the risk factors?
A
  1. Intestinal coccidiosis (13 different sp), Hepatic coccidiosis (E. stiedae)
  2. Intestinal coccidiosis- Diarrhoea and weight loss
    Hepatic- Diarrhoea, weight loss, heptomegaly and jaundice, higher mortality
  3. Groups, Age
21
Q

How is coccidiosis in rabbits treated?
What can also be considered?

A

Treatment:
* TMP and Sulfas
* Toltrazuril
Consider:
* Supportive care
* Diet managment
* Reduce stress/improve husbandry

Intestinal- rabbits become immune
Hepatic- chronic/permanent changes

22
Q

What internal parasites can more uncommonly infect rabbits?

A

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

23
Q

What external parasites can infect rabbits?

A
  • Fleas- cat and dogs more common
  • Lice- haemodipsus ventricosus occasionally
  • Mites-
    Ear mites- psoroptes cuniculis
    Skin mites- Cheyletiella parasitovorax
    Fur mites- Leporacarus gibbus
24
Q
  1. How are external parasites in rabbits diagnosed?
  2. What are mites secondary to?
  3. How are they treated?
A
  1. Identical to Small (skin scrapes, skin strips)
  2. Inability to groom- dental disease, arthritis, spinal disease. Immunosupression
  3. Imidaclopride, selamectin, moxidectin
    Do not use Fipronil in rabbits
25
Q
  1. What flies cause fly strike
  2. What are the commonly affected areas in rabbits?
  3. What are the risk factors?
A
  1. Maggots of Lucilia sp and Calliphora sp
  2. Tale base and perineum
  3. Outdoor, higher temperatures, soiled skin, overweight, difficulty grooming, uneaten caecotrophs
26
Q

How is flystrike managed in rabbits?

A

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

27
Q

How can flystrike be prevented in rabbits?

A

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

28
Q
  1. What causes encephalitozoonosis in rabbits?
  2. When do clinical signs develop?
  3. How is it transmitted?
A
  1. Encepalitozoon cuniculi- microsporidia
  2. Intracellular obligate parasite- clinical signs develop when infected cells rupture with spored
  3. Inhalation/ingestion of spored shed mostly in urine, vertical
29
Q
  1. What clinical signs can present with encephalitozoonosis?
  2. How much of the population is likely to be infected?
A
  1. Neurological presentation, eye lesions, chronic kidney disease
  2. 50%- most sub-clinical/non-infectious
30
Q

How can a rabbit with encephalitozoonosis present with neurological signs?

A
  • Head tilt
  • Nystagmus
  • Facial paralysis
  • Pareses/paralysis
  • Muscle weakness
  • Seizures
31
Q

What eye lesions and signs of CKD may rabbits get with encephalitozoonosis?

A

Eye lesions-
* Phacoclastic uveitis
* Lens opacity/rupture
* Cataracts

CKD
* PUPD
* Urine scald
* Progressive weight loss
* Supported by biochemistry/haematology

32
Q

How is E. cuniculi diagnosed?

A

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

33
Q

How is E. cuniculi treated?

A

Fembendazole
SE- bone marrow supression
Only treat with confirmed cases or high suspicion

Anti-inflams- NSAIDS, corticosteroid contraindicated (immunosupression)

Antibiotics- fluoroquinolones, doxycycline

34
Q

What additional care may be required for E. Cuniculi?

A

Ocular lesions: eye drops with NSAIDS, enucleation
Seizures/rolling: Midazolam
Supportive care: syringe feeding, fluids, padded cages, monitor eyes for keratitis

35
Q

What are the possible outcomes of E. cuniculi?

A
  1. Recovery- likely to remain sub-clinical
  2. Neurodefecits- mild head tilt
  3. Enucleation- cope well post-op
  4. CKD- managment and monitoring
  5. Euthanasia
36
Q

How is E. cuniculi prevented?

A
  • Serological testing and separating positives/negatives
  • Strict hygiene
  • Prophylactic fembendazole
  • Improve husbandry and diet
  • Reduce overcrowding