Lab Animal Diseases Flashcards
What are the most common diseases/conditions of mice?
- Sendai virus
- Mouse hepatitis virus
- bite wounds
- hair loss from friction or barbering
What causes the sendai virus of the mouse?
Parainfluenza type 1
What is the most common respiratory disease of the mouse?
Sendai virus
What are the clinical signs of sendai virus of the mouse?
- Hunched posture
- Ruffled fir
- Dyspnea
- Teeth chattering
What causes the mouse hepatitis virus?
Coronovirus
What is the most common viral disease of the mouse?
Hepatitis virus because it is highly contagious and it is both a enteric disease and a respiratory disease
How do you treat hepatitis virus of the mouse?
Cease breeding for 4 weeks to allow time for the mice to eliminate the virus
What bacteria may be found in infected mice bite wounds?
Staphylococcus aureus
What are the most common diseases of the rat?
- Mycoplasm pulmonis
- Sialodacryoadentitis virus
- Neoplasia
What are the most common conditions of the rat?
- Chromodacryorrhea
- Chronic progressive glommerulonephropathy
- Malocclusion
- Ringtail
What is the most common respiratory pathogen of the rat?
Mycoplasm pulmonis
How is mycoplasm pulmonis transmitted between rats?
- Direct contact
- Intrauterine
- Sexual transmission
- Aerosol
What are the clinical signs of mycoplasm pulmonis of the rat?
- Labored breathing
- Weight loss
- Lethargy
- Hunched posture
- Rough hair coat
- Otits interna
Will antibiotics help treat mycoplasm pulmonis of the rat?
Antibiotics will suppress infection, but not eliminate it
What is sialodacryoadentitis virus of the rat?
A gram positive bacteria infection that is highly contagious and causes inflammation of he salivary and lacrimal glands
What are the clinical signs of sialodacryoadentitis virus of the rat?
- Eye squinting
- Swelling of the ventral cervical region and jaw
- Protrusion of the eye
How is sialodacryoadentits virus of the rat treated?
It does not need to be treated as it will resolve itself on its own within 10-14 days; reinfected animals may be subclinical but still shed virus
What kind of neoplasias can rat get?
- Mammary tumors
- Keratoancanthomas
- Large granular lymphocytic leukemia
- Pituitary adenomas
- Zymbal’s gland tumors
What is chromodacryorrhea in the rat?
Excessive red tears due to the porphyrin in their system
What is the most common disease of gerbil?
Tyzzer’s disease
What is tyzzer’s disease caused by?
Clostridium piliforme
How is tyzzer’s disease transmitted?
Through fecal and oral transmission
At what age are gerbils most susceptible to tyzzer’s disease?
Weanlings, and the mortality rate is very high in gerbils 3-7 weeks of age
What are the contributing factors to tyzzer’s disease?
Poor sanitation and stress
What are the clinical signs of tyzzer’s disease?
- Ruff hair coat
- Lethargy
- Diarrhea
- Anorexia
- Death within 1-3 days
Can tyzzer’s disease be treated?
Treatment may help suppress infection, but not cure it because spores will survive in the environment for prolonged periods of time
What are the most common conditions of gerbils?
- Nasal dermatitis
- Degloving of the tail
- Epileptiform seizures
What is antibiotic associated entercolitis of the hamster?
GI infection caused by the animal received any of the PLACE or VGC drugs
What are the PLACE drugs that should not be administered to lab animals?
- Penicillian
- Lincomycin
- Amplicillin/Amoxicillin
- Clindamycin
- Erythromycin
What are the VGC drugs that should not be administered to a hamster?
- Vancomycin
- Cephalosporins
- Gentamicin
What are the clinical signs of antibiotic associated entercolitis?
- Ruffled hair
- Anorexia
- Profuse diarrhea
- Dehydration
- Death within 4-10 days
Why is antibiotic associated entercolitis so serious to hamsters?
Because it disrupts the normal flora of the GI tract including the lactobacillus and the bacteroides with Clostridium difficile toxins
How can antibiotic associate entercolits be treated in a hamster?
Lactobacillus supplement and supportive care
What is the scientific name for wet tail?
Proliferative ileitis
What diseases commonly affect the hamster?
- Antibiotic associated entercolitis
- Proliferative ileitis aka wet tail
- Lymphocytic choriomeningitis aka LCM
What are some conditions that commonly affect the hamster?
- Renal amyloidosis in females
- Atrial thrombosis of the left atrium
What is wet tail caused by?
Desulfovibio sp
At what age are are hamsters most susceptible to wet tail?
3-8 weeks of age
How is wet tail transmitted?
Through fecal and oral transmission with stress being the biggest contributing factor
What are the clinical signs of wet tail?
- Unkempt hair coat
- Anorexia
- Moistened peritoneal area
- Fetid watery diarrhea
- Dehydration
- Distended bowl loops
- Rectal prolapse
- Intussusception
What is the natural reservoir of lymphocytic choriomeningitis?
The wild mouse and it is spread through infected saliva, feces or urine
Is lymphocytic choriomeningitis zoonotic?
Yes, LCM infected hamsters are the primary source of LCM in humans
What are the main diseases/conditions guinea pigs can get?
- Antibiotic toxicity
- Malocclusion aka Slobbers
- Scurvy
- Pregnancy complications
What drugs in addition to PLACE medications should a guinea pig never receive?
- Bacitracin
- Dihydrostreptomycin
Why is oral, parenteral or topical administration not recommended for guinea pigs?
Because it affects the normal flora of including lactobacillus and streptococcus and causes overgrowth of clostridium difficile and e.coli
Which teeth are most likely to malocclude in the guinea pig?
Premolars and rostral molars due to genetic disposition
What are the clinical signs of slobbers?
- Ptyalism
- Halitosis
- Chronic weight loss
- Tongue trauma
What is scurvy?
When a guinea pig can not convert L-gulonolactone to L-absorbic acid and therefore require a Vitamin C supplement
At what dose should a Vitamin C supplement be given to a guinea pig with scruvy?
15-20 mg/kg
What are the clinical signs of scurvy?
- Reluctance to move due to sore joints
- Unkempt appearance
- Swollen joints
- Diarrhea
What pregnancy complications are guinea pigs susceptible to?
- Dystocia
- Pregnancy toxemia aka ketosis
What diseases are rabbits prone to?
- Pasteurella multocida aka snuffles
- Enterotoxemia
- Mucoid enteropathy
- Venereal spirocetosis aka syphillis aka vent disease
- Ear mites
- Protazoa
- Coccidiosis
- Uterine Adenocarcinoma
What conditions are rabbits prone to?
- Fracture or luxation of L7-S1
- Hair balls aka trichobezoars
- Ketosis
- Malocclusion
- Splay leg
- Ulcerative pododermatitis aka sore hock
What is the most common disease of the rabbit?
Pasteurella multocida aka snuffles and is harbored in the nasal passages and tympanic bullae and can eventually affect the reproductive tract
What can otitis interna in the rabbit lead to?
Torticollis aka wry neck
How can Pasteurella multocida in the rabbit be controlled?
- Quarantine incoming animals
- Eliminate environmental stressors
- Isolation/culling of affected individuals
- Medicated feed
What should be used to treat enterotoxemia in a rabbit?
Cholestryramine to absorb PLACE drug toxins
What age rabbits are effected most by mucoid enteropathy?
Young rabbits 7-10 weeks of age
What are the clinical signs of mucoid enteropathy?
- Abdominal distention
- Sloshing sounds in the intestines
- Hunching position
- Depression
- Polydipsia
- Anorexia
- Hypothermia
- Constipation followed by diarrhea
What is rabbit venereal spirocetosis caused by?
Treponema cuniculi
What causes protazoa in rabbits?
Encephalitiozoon cuniculi shed in urine and ingested and can be transmitted from mother to offspring
How can coccidiosis in rabbits be prevented?
- Strict cleaning and disinfection
- Use of wire hanging cages
- Medicated food and water
- Culling of infected animals
What is the most common neoplasm of rabbits?
Uterine adenocarcinoma in does 5 years and older if not spayed
