Encephalitozoonosis in household pet Nederland Dwarf rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus)

Valenčáková, Alexandra; Bálent, P.; Petrovová, Eva; Novotný, František; Luptáková, Lenka

doi:10.1016/j.vetpar.2008.01.047

Cited by 35 publications

(18 citation statements)

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“…Furthermore, the sensitivity (9 × 10 spores/ sample; total DNA, 2.2 × 10 −1 ng/ml) of the nested PCR assay developed in this study is a possible cause of the low detection rate. E. cuniculi spores are regularly excreted into urine of infected animals [14], however, E. cuniculi DNA was detected in the fecal samples as well as the previous report [18]. Interestingly, the DNA detection from feces was limited in the samples from breeding facilities, which were not treated with the sucrose floatation technique prior to DNA extraction.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 66%

Detection and Genotype of Encephalitozoon cuniculi DNA from Urine and Feces of Pet Rabbits in Japan

et al. 2013

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ABSTRACT. A newly developed nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay targeting the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of the ribosomal DNA was applied to detect and characterize Encephalitozoon cuniculi DNA from pet rabbits in Japan. The analysis was carried out using 257 urinary samples and 314 fecal samples collected from 307 pet rabbits in the age group of 1 month to 12 years from 30 different prefectures of Japan and 107 fecal samples and 3 urinary samples collected from 1-month-old rabbits from 3 breeding facilities in Japan. We detected 840-bp amplicons in 20 urinary samples (7.78%) from the pet rabbits of the 13 prefectures and in 1 urinary (33.3%) and 6 fecal (5.6%) samples from the rabbits of the 2 breeding facilities. The sequences (803 bp) of the 27 amplicons had no variations and completely coincided with the sequence of E. cuniculi genotype I. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the detection and genotype characterization of E. cuniculi DNA from pet rabbits in Japan. Encephalitozoon cuniculi is an obligate intracellular parasite that is classified as a microsporidium, although this group is currently considered to comprise highly derived fungi descended from a zygomycete ancestor [15]. The organism mainly parasitizes rabbits and causes encephalitozoonosis with clinical signs of the disorders in the central nervous system, kidney and eye, which sometimes causes lethal damage to the animals. Furthermore, the organism has also been detected in other mammalian hosts, including rodents, horses, carnivores, non-human primates and humans [2,16]. Encephalitozoon cuniculi infections in rabbits show worldwide prevalence, and the seroprevalence has been reported to be 7.0% in breeding colonies in the U.S.A. [9], 59.2% in pet rabbits in England [10], 67.2% in pet rabbits in Italy [5] and 15% in farmed rabbits in Egypt [1]. In Japan, occasional cases of the infections have been reported since the 1990s [6,12,13,17], and a high seroprevalence of E. cuniculi has been recently reported in pet rabbits [11].Encephalitozoon cuniculi isolates from animal and human hosts are divided into 3 genotypes I, II and III on the basis of the differences in the nucleotide sequences of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene [4]. Genotypes I, II and III are mainly detected in isolates from rabbits, mice and dogs, respectively. Genotypes I and III appear to have zoonotic potential, because these genotypes have been detected from humans as well as animals [16]. In Japan, although E. cuniculi genotype I has been isolated from a rabbit reared in a zoo and rabbits reared at a laboratory in an institute [7, 8], there is no report on genotype of E. cuniculi DNA in pet rabbits. This study was designed to detect E. cuniculi DNA and to characterize the genotype using urinary and fecal samples obtained from pet rabbits in Japan. MATERIALS AND METHODS Urinary and fecal samples of rabbits:We collected 257 urinary samples and 314 fecal samples from 307 healthy pet rabbits (age, 1...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 66%

Detection and Genotype of Encephalitozoon cuniculi DNA from Urine and Feces of Pet Rabbits in Japan

et al. 2013

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“…In this study, 11 cases showed typical clinical symptoms such as central nervous dysfunction and occasionally fatal prognosis attributed to the encephalitozoonosis [18,22,33]. It was interesting that juvenile rabbits showed nonspecific symptoms such as weight loss and stunted growth, finally leading to death.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 78%

“…Guinea pigs housed with rabbits are reported to have a particularly high risk of infection with E. cuniculi [4]. In recent years, severe diseases have become recognized more frequently in pet rabbits [18,22,33].…”

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confidence: 99%

“…In Japan, rabbits have become a popular companion animal, and a variety of improved breeds, especially dwarfbreeds, have been imported from the United States and Europe, where high seroprevalence of E. cuniculi in rabbits has been shown by serological surveys [15,16,18,20,22,33]. Furthermore, in Japan, high seroprevalence of E. cuniculi in pet rabbits was reported [17].…”

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confidence: 99%

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Surveillance for an Outbreak of Encephalitozoon cuniculi Infection in Rabbits Housed at a Zoo and Biosecurity Countermeasures

et al. 2013

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ABSTRACT. An outbreak of encephalitozoonosis occurred in a rabbit colony at a zoo in Japan. Throughout the two years after the onset, all 42 rabbits were investigated clinically, pathologically and serologically for prevention and control of the disease. Eleven rabbits (11/42, 26.2%) showed clinical symptoms. Of 38 rabbits examined to detect specific antibodies against Encephalitozoon cuniculi, 71.1% (n=27) were found seropositive; 20 out of 30 clinically healthy rabbits (except for 8 clinical cases) were seropositive. The infection rate was 76.2% (32/42), including 5 pathologically diagnosed cases. The results of serological survey revealed that asymptomatic infection was widespread, even among clinically healthy rabbits. However, encephalitozoonosis was not found by pathological examination in any other species of animals kept in the same area within the zoo. Isolation and elimination of the rabbits with suspected infection based on the results of serological examination were carried out immediately; however, encephalitozoonosis continued to occur sporadically. Therefore, all the remaining rabbits were finally slaughtered. Then, the facility was closed, and all the equipment was disinfected. After a two-month interval, founder rabbits were introduced from encephalitozoonosis-free rabbitries for new colony formation. Since then, encephalitozoonosis has not been seen in any animals at the zoo. In this study, biosecurity countermeasures including staff education, epidemiological surveillance and application of an "all-out and all-in" system for rabbit colony establishment based on serological examination were successfully accomplished with regard to animal hygiene and public health for the eradication of E. cuniculi.

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“…Molecular diagnosis offers an alternative with both superior sensitivity and specificity as compared to microscopy.In the last years, several methods were developed for molecular detection of microsporidia, by conventional or quantitative PCR. Several PCR-based methods have been published to amplify different regions of the SSU and LSU rRNA gene as well as the intergenic spacer region for diagnosis and species differentiation of microsporidia infecting humans and animals [12,13]. Despite the recent advances, there is still confusion about the reproduction mechanism of E. bieneusi, especially whether meiotic recombination occurs in E. bieneusi like in some other microsporidia [14].…”

Section: Microsporidiosis and Microsporidia Sppmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Microsporidiosis, cryptosporidiosis, blastocystosis, etc., of humans and animals are an intestinal diseases caused predominantly by infection with zoonotic species and genotypes of these pathogens. These diseases are transmitted mainly via the faecal-oral route. Generally, these deseases are occurs worldwide, but in places with poor sanitation and crowded living conditions is endemic and is associated with source of water and food supply, age, and socioeconomic status [1]. The diagnosis and genetic characterization of the main species and population variants of Microsporidia, Cryptosporidium and Blastocystis infecting humans and animals are central to the prevention, surveillance and control of these diseases, particularly as there is presently no cost effective chemotherapeutic regimen or vaccine available. In this Minireview we want to draw attention to the possibility of using HRM analysis for species and genotypic differentiation of these pathogens in clinical samples of humans and animals. This approach is well suited for the rapid screening of large numbers of Cryptosporidium oocyst, Blastocystis cyst and Microsporidia spores DNA samples and, although qualitative, is significantly less time-consuming to carry out than electrophoretic analysis. This method provides a useful tool for investigating the epidemiology and outbreaks of cryptosporidiosis, microsporidiosis and blastocystosis and could be applicable to identification of species of these pathogens.

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Encephalitozoonosis in household pet Nederland Dwarf rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus)

Cited by 35 publications

References 10 publications

Detection and Genotype of <i>Encephalitozoon cuniculi</i> DNA from Urine and Feces of Pet Rabbits in Japan

Detection and Genotype of <i>Encephalitozoon cuniculi</i> DNA from Urine and Feces of Pet Rabbits in Japan

Surveillance for an Outbreak of <i>Encephalitozoon cuniculi</i> Infection in Rabbits Housed at a Zoo and Biosecurity Countermeasures

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