Pasteurella multocida and Bordetella bronchiseptica infections in rabbits

Abstract

The natural history of infection with Pasteurela multocida and Bordetella bronchiseptica in domestic rabbits was studied prospectively at a commercial rabbitry. At weaning, about 25% of rabbits had nasal infections with P. multocida and 75% had infections with B. bronchiseptica. Infection of weanling rabbits paralleled nasal infections of their dams. The proportion of rabbits with both infections increased with age. At 2 to 4 months old, about 50% of rabbits with P. multocida or P. multocida and B. bronchiseptica infections had upper respiratory disease (URD), whereas rabbits with B. bronchiseptica infection had no disease. In rabbits about 10 months old, 75% with P. multocida or P. multocida and B. bronchiseptica infections had URD, whereas virtually none with B. bronchiseptica infection had disease. Disease of the nares, paranasal sinuses, middle ears, and lungs was associated with P. multocida and not B. bronchiseptica infection. In adult rabbits with nasal P. multocida infection, with or without signs of URD, about 80% had concurrent infection of the paranasal sinuses and middle ears and 20% had infection of the bronchi and lungs. In rabbits without nasal P. multocida infection, 20 to 35% had P. multocida infection of the paranasal sinuses and middle ears. Weanling rabbits with and without P. multocida infection had similar immunoglobulin G (IgG) levels. In rabbits observed prospectively, the only antibody differences between those transiently and persistently infected with P. mnultocida were a diminished IgA response in nasal lavages and an earlier IgM response in sera of transiently infected rabbits. IgG levels increased with the duration of infection. There was no relationship between immunoglobulin levels and freedom from P. multocida infection.

Partial ear canal ablation and lateral bulla osteotomy in rabbits

“…Otitis media is commonly associated with respiratory tract infections and, in fact, 78 to 80% of rabbits with upper respiratory tract disease have bulla involvement (Smith & Webster 1925, Deeb et al 1990). Those cases with clinical signs of upper respiratory tract disease or those which are positive for Pasteurella are highly likely to suffer from this condition due to infection ascending via the Eustachian tubes (Smith & Webster 1925, Snyder et al 1973, Deeb et al 1990). Otitis media is also identified in 24% of rabbits with neurological disease (Jeklovaa et al 2010).…”

“…In one post-mortem study of 102 laboratory rabbits, 32% were identified with subclinical otitis media (Smith & Webster 1925). In another post-mortem study of meat producing rabbits, 11·5% (of 78 rabbits) had subclinical otitis media, but this rose to 84·9% (of 53 rabbits) with clinical signs of respiratory disease (Deeb et al 1990). Clinically, the diagnosis usually relies on the extension of otitis media to otitis interna and the development of associated clinical signs.…”

Comparative models for human nasal infections and immunity

“…Domestic rabbits are commonly infected by Pasteurella multocida and Bordetella bronchiseptica. At weaning, about 25% of rabbits were E. Casadei, I. Salinas Developmental and Comparative Immunology 92 (2019) 212-222 found to have nasal infections with P. multocida and 75% had infections with B. bronchiseptica (Deeb et al, 1990). Intranasal immunization of rabbits with P. multocida toxin induces specific IgA responses in the nasal and bronchoalveolar lavage (Jarvinen et al, 1998) indicating again that, similar to human, IgA responses are the gold-standard for evaluation of nasal vaccine efficacy in several animal models including rabbits.…”

Interaction ofBordetella bronchisepticaand Its Lipopolysaccharide withIn VitroCulture of Respiratory Nasal Epithelium

“…Bordetella bronchiseptica is a Gram-negative bacterium capable of colonizing the respiratory tract of a large range of mammalian hosts, including mice, rats, guinea pigs, rabbits, cats, dogs, pigs, sheep, horses, and bears [1]. B. bronchiseptica is responsible for a wide spectrum of overt respiratory diseases such as kennel cough in dogs, atrophic rhinitis in pigs, and snuffles and pneumonia in rabbits [2][3][4]. B. bronchiseptica can also lead to permanent asymptomatic colonization of the respiratory tract [1,5].…”