Prevalence of intestinal parasites and risk factor analysis for Eimeria infections in Finnish pet rabbits

Deaths Due to Mixed Infections with Passalurus ambiguus, Eimeria spp. and Cyniclomyces guttulatus in an Industrial Rabbit Farm in Greece

“…are not uncommon in rabbits. They have been reported in the past, with different prevalence rates, in Greece [93], Germany [37,94,95], Finland [46], Turkey [96], Poland [5,36], Serbia [97], Italy [10], Australia [40], West Africa [98] and Kenya [45]. It is worth noting that in a previous study in Greece, all commercial rabbit farms examined were infected with P. ambiguus and Eimeria spp.…”

“…In rabbits, signs of diarrhoea are a dirty perineal area and liquid or unusually soft faeces with the presence of mucus [45]. Additional less common symptoms are nervous signs (uncoordinated movement of the limbs), abdominal distention, stunt growth [45] and mortality [45,46]. Coccidiosis with E. perforans has also been linked to intussusception leading to death in a rabbit [47].…”

“…Furthermore, coccidiosis is considered the leading cause of the enteritis complex, especially in young rabbits [11]. All these symptoms combined and the cost of coccidiosis control can lead to significant financial losses for the producer [46]. It is worth noting that mixed infections with different Eimeria species, like in the current case, are not uncommon [11,42,45,[48][49][50], with the most frequents species encountered being E. media, E. magna and E. perforans [19].…”

“…Moreover, adults and especially does, that shed more oocysts during the periparturient period can act as a natural reservoir of infection for kittens [80]. Kittens are more susceptible to coccidia infections than adults [36,46], particularly right after weaning [81], which is a stressful situation for them [80]. In contrast, suckling kittens during their first 20 days of age are rarely infected with coccidia [82].…”

Expression Analysis and Serodiagnostic Potential of Microneme Proteins 1 and 3 in Eimeria stiedai

“…Rabbit coccidiosis is a severe protozoal disease caused by infection of genus Eimeria in the intestines and liver of rabbits, it is one of the most common and highly contagious diseases in rabbits which leads to severe economic losses in domestic rabbit industry [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]. Eimeria stiedai is considered to be one of the most pathogenic Eimeria species infecting rabbits, which predominantly invades the epithelial cells of the liver and bile duct, causing severe hepatic coccidiosis characterized by cirrhosis and intensive cholestasis [ 4 , 5 , 6 ].…”