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The aim of the present study was to investigate the variations of the plasma creatine kinase (CK) activities following an experimentally induced staphylococcal infection in rabbits and to compare them with the occurrence of clinical signs. For that, the plasma CK activities were determined in 7 male New Zealand White, 3 months old rabbits subcutaneously injected with Staphylococcus aureus strain suspension (density: 8х10 8 cfu/mL) and in 6 other rabbits not treated (controls). In parallel, rectal temperature and skin lesions (abscesses) were recorded. In all infected animals, formation of abscess due to the proliferation of the inoculated strain was observed within 48-96 hours following the bacterial inoculation and these lesions have gradually extended leading to purulent exudates several days after and sometimes to secondary abscesses in surrounding muscles. The concentration of fibrinogen was used as an acute phase protein with aim to confirm the incidence of infection. Plasma CK activities were dramatically elevated on 48 hour compared to initial values and to controls at the same time but this increase was transient, the CK activities being similar to controls since the 72 nd hour. These results indicate that the plasma CK activity in rabbit can be considered as a precocious marker of skin and secondary muscular damage related to the abscess formation and probably to the bacterial exotoxins following experimental staphylococcal infection.

Infections with Staphylococcus aureus are a common cause which can induce severe skin infections in rabbits leading to important economic losses. The present study was conducted to evaluate the changes in the concentrations of total protein, albumin, globulin, fibrinogen, and albumin/globulin ratio during S. aureus infection using a model for experimental infection of rabbits. The experiment was carried out on 13 rabbits at the age of 3 months. Infection was induced by inoculation of 7 rabbits by100 μL of bacterial suspension of a field S. aureus strain (density: 8х10 8 cfu/mL) and 6 other rabbits were not treated (controls). Blood samples for principal protein analysis were collected before (0 h) and at 24, 48 and72 h on day 7, 14, and 21 after infection. Total protein level showed little changes in the experimental group. The concentration of albumin decreased in the experimental group since 32.2±2.30 g/L to 27.3±1.9g/L. The serum level of globulins rose significantly (P<0.05) in the experimental group and slightly in the control group. Albumin/globulin ratio was lowered and significantly different on day 4 (P<0.01) and on day 7 (P<0.001). The concentration of fibrinogen was used as an acute phase protein with aim to confirm the incidence of infection. In parallel, rectal temperature and skin lesions (abscesses) were recorded. In all infected animals, formation of abscess due to the proliferation of the inoculated strain was observed within 48-96 h following the bacterial inoculation and these lesions have gradually extended leading to purulent exudates several days after and sometimes to secondary abscesses in surrounding muscles.

The aim of this study was to examine the reference range of blood plasma fibrinogen, which belongs to the group of moderate acute phase protein in rabbits. The experiment followed the dynamics of blood plasma fibrinogen (Fb) during the first year of life in 12 New Zealand White rabbits, 6 males and 6 females, starting at 1 month of age until the 7 th month. It was shown that fibrinogen concentrations increased with the age. There was a statistically significant difference in Fb concentrations in rabbits at 3 (P<0.05), 6 (P<0.01) and 7 months of age (P<0.001) compared to levels obtained at 1 month of age in both genders. At ages of 1, 2 and 3 months, fibrinogen values were higher in male rabbits while in 7-month-old rabbits, plasma fibrinogen levels in females were significantly higher than those in male rabbits (P<0.01).

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