Intestinal Mycobacterium avium Infection in Pet Dwarf Rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus). 2020

Christof A Bertram, and Stefanie A Barth, and Barbara Glöckner, and Antina Lübke-Becker, and Robert Klopfleisch
Institute of Veterinary Pathology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany. Electronic address: Christof.Bertram@fu-berlin.de.

Mycobacteriosis has been rarely described in pet rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus). Here we present two cases of intestinal mycobacteriosis from north-eastern Germany. The first adult rabbit was euthanized due to severe cardiovascular failure, hypothermia and chronic weight loss. Necropsy revealed cachexia and a focal, fibrinonecrotic lesion in the caecum. Histologically, severe granulomatous inflammation, with numerous multinucleated giant cells and abundant acid-fast bacilli, was detected under the fibrinonecrotic material in the abdominal wall adjacent to the caecal lesion, caecal lymph nodes, spleen, liver and lungs. Microbiological culture detected Mycobacterium avium subspecies hominissuis, Escherichia coli, Clostridium disporicum and Bacteroides ovatus. A retrospective assessment of 2,013 other pet rabbit necropsies, performed between 1995 and 2019, revealed one additional case of intestinal mycobacteriosis. This animal had been euthanized due to persistent hindlimb lameness and necropsy revealed comminuted fractures of the pelvic bones and multiple large liquefied abscess-like lesions in the caecal and colonic walls. Histology revealed granulomatous inflammation with acid-fast bacilli. Polymerase chain reaction on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue identified the presence of M. avium spp. In contrast to European wild rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) from Scotland, these findings indicate that intestinal mycobacteriosis is rare in pet rabbits from north-eastern Germany. Zoonotic potential should be considered due to the close contact between pets and their owners and the chronic course of the disease with an initial lack of clinical signs.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D007410 Intestinal Diseases Pathological processes in any segment of the INTESTINE from DUODENUM to RECTUM. Disease, Intestinal,Diseases, Intestinal,Intestinal Disease
D009162 Mycobacterium avium A bacterium causing tuberculosis in domestic fowl and other birds. In pigs, it may cause localized and sometimes disseminated disease. The organism occurs occasionally in sheep and cattle. It should be distinguished from the M. avium complex, which infects primarily humans.
D011817 Rabbits A burrowing plant-eating mammal with hind limbs that are longer than its fore limbs. It belongs to the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, and in contrast to hares, possesses 22 instead of 24 pairs of chromosomes. Belgian Hare,New Zealand Rabbit,New Zealand Rabbits,New Zealand White Rabbit,Rabbit,Rabbit, Domestic,Chinchilla Rabbits,NZW Rabbits,New Zealand White Rabbits,Oryctolagus cuniculus,Chinchilla Rabbit,Domestic Rabbit,Domestic Rabbits,Hare, Belgian,NZW Rabbit,Rabbit, Chinchilla,Rabbit, NZW,Rabbit, New Zealand,Rabbits, Chinchilla,Rabbits, Domestic,Rabbits, NZW,Rabbits, New Zealand,Zealand Rabbit, New,Zealand Rabbits, New,cuniculus, Oryctolagus
D005858 Germany A country in central Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, between the Netherlands and Poland, south of Denmark. The capital is Berlin.
D000818 Animals Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA. Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D012189 Retrospective Studies Studies used to test etiologic hypotheses in which inferences about an exposure to putative causal factors are derived from data relating to characteristics of persons under study or to events or experiences in their past. The essential feature is that some of the persons under study have the disease or outcome of interest and their characteristics are compared with those of unaffected persons. Retrospective Study,Studies, Retrospective,Study, Retrospective
D015270 Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare Infection A nontuberculous infection when occurring in humans. It is characterized by pulmonary disease, lymphadenitis in children, and systemic disease in AIDS patients. Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare infection of birds and swine results in tuberculosis. Mycobacterium intracellulare Infection,Infection, Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare,Infection, Mycobacterium intracellulare,Mycobacterium avium intracellulare Infection,Infection, Mycobacterium avium intracellulare,Infections, Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare,Infections, Mycobacterium intracellulare,Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare Infections,Mycobacterium intracellulare Infections
D057805 Pets Animals kept by humans for companionship and enjoyment, as opposed to DOMESTIC ANIMALS such as livestock or farm animals, which are kept for economic reasons. Companion Animals,Companion Cats,Companion Dogs,Animal, Companion,Animals, Companion,Cat, Companion,Cats, Companion,Companion Animal,Companion Cat,Companion Dog,Dog, Companion,Dogs, Companion,Pet

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