Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Neurological signs and diagnosis of encephalitozoonosis in pet rabbits
By Künzel, Frank et al.·Published in Veterinary parasitology·2008·Clinic of Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Clinical symptoms and diagnosis of encephalitozoonosis in pet rabbits.
- Species:
- rabbit
Plain-English summary
A group of pet rabbits showed signs of illness due to a parasite called Encephalitozoon cuniculi. Many of the rabbits had neurological symptoms, such as balance issues, while others experienced eye problems or kidney failure. Tests confirmed the presence of the parasite in some cases, particularly in those with eye issues. Unfortunately, while over half of the rabbits with neurological symptoms recovered quickly, most of those with kidney failure did not survive.
People also search for: rabbit neurological symptoms · Encephalitozoon cuniculi treatment · rabbit kidney failure signs
Abstract
Infections with Encephalitozoon cuniculi in rabbits are observed at increasing frequency and are known as opportunistic infections in immunocompromised humans. 191 pet rabbits with suspected encephalitozoonosis, presented at the Animal Hospital of the Veterinary University of Vienna (Austria), were included in this study. Rabbits were serologically examined for antibodies against E. cuniculi (144 positive out of 184 rabbits with suspected encephalitozoonosis compared to 14 positive out of 40 clinically healthy rabbits tested as part of a standard health check) and Toxoplasma gondii (8 positive out of 157). Of the 144 seropositive rabbits with clinical signs, 75% showed neurological symptoms, 14.6% demonstrated phacoclastic uveitis and 3.5% suffered from renal failure. 6.9% of the animals had combined symptoms. Vestibular disease dominated within the rabbits that showed neurological symptoms. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) could not detect parasite DNA in urine or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), but did so in 4 out of 5 samples of liquefied lens material in cases with phacoclastic uveitis due to lens capsule rupture. Additionally further diagnostic procedures, such as inspection of the external ear canal (N=69), radiography of the tympanic bullae (N=65) were performed to rule out differential diagnosis. 54.2% of the patients exhibiting neurological symptoms recovered within a few days, while 87.5% of the rabbits suffering from renal failure died or had to be euthanized.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18164135/