E. Cuniculi

[jil101ca]

I'm not sure if this should be in the infirmary or not, but anyways. Not knowing much about this i did some online research. Ifthe E Cuniculi is only shed in the urine do the other rabbits have to have direct contact with the infected urine or are the spores air borne?? I couldn't find anything to answer my question.

 

[TinysMom]

I'm not sure I can answer your question either -but I am going to move it to the infirmary. It is a good question and I'd like to hear more.



Peg

 

[naturestee]

It's not really known yet. I guess it's really hard to study EC. Here's some more info.

From http://www.ontariorabbits.org/health/healthinfo10.html

[align=left]Encephalitozoon cuniculi (EC) is a parasite that causes lesions (called "granulomas") in such organs as the kidneys, liver and brain. Even today, EC is still not well understood in the rabbit community. Theories and opinions regarding transmission, treatment and the severity of the problems caused by this parasite vary widely. To date, none of the theories have really been proven or not proven by a definitive study. Because EC is a protozoon, it is difficult to find this organism in the live rabbit, and often, the protozoan is not even found during a post mortem exam. ...[/align]
Some experts feel that the majority of rabbits who have been exposed to EC do not suffer any health consequences as a result of this exposure. Others feel that EC is responsible for a whole host of health problems, including renal failure, convulsions, torticollis (head tilt or wry neck), hind limb weakness or loss of balance, nystagmus (eye twitching) and incontinence. Rabbits affected by EC before they are born (via the placenta) may develop lesions around the eyes, which sometimes cause visible white spots in the eye.

And there's more info in Rabbit Health References:
http://rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=14471&forum_id=10

What I do know is that a fairly large majority of rabbits will test positive for EC whether or not they have any symptoms. Many rabbits can live their whole lives with EC without ever being sick. Nobody seems to know why some rabbits get sick from EC and others don't.

 

[rabb1tmad]

Here's some more information that might help too:

http://www.houserabbit.co.uk/rwf/articles/ecuniculi.htm

EC is a really hot topic over here at the moment. Panacur have released a new treatment aimed specifically at rabbits. Here is their advertising;

http://www.intervet.co.uk/Products_Public/Panacur_Rabbit/040_Publications.asp

My vet has written to them to ask questions about their research as they believe that rabbits should be given this medecine every 3 to 4months to protect them from EC. My vet isn't convinced by their findings as a nine day dose would not protect a rabbit for 3 to 4months so it would bereal lucky if you were to give the dose at the same time as they are exposed to spores from the urine!

As naturestee said, many rabbits will carry a positive titer for EC but that does not mean that they will become/have been ill with EC.This is just my thought from my experience -it has something to do with the immune system. If a rabbits immune system is compromised its ability to cope with the spores becomes compromised and the parasite takes over. With a normal immune systema rabbit can live with it and may never get ill.

 

[jil101ca]

it is not air borne according to that article so if you had a contagious rabbit in your rabbitry then the others would not be able to get it unless coming in contact with the contagious rabbit's urine. Do I have this right? I don't have any infected rabbits. This is just to farther increase my ever growing of rabbit knowledge.

 

[naturestee]

Yes, if the other rabbits do not come in contact with the urine, it shouldn't be contagious. And if you did suspect EC, you could put up solid barriers between the cages to prevent them from spraying each other. Aside from that,regular cleaning practices should be able to control it.

After reading about the Panacur thing on a UK forum, I think it's mainly a ploy by the company to sell more meds. Panacur is a good medicine, but needs to be given in the standard 30 day treatment. Ivermectin is commonly used and recommended by breeders for EC treatment, according to Barbi Brown. She's had luck with it, and I think Peg was using her treatment methods as well:
http://www.barbibrownsbunnies.com/ecuniculi.htm

 

[TinysMom]

Many breeders use both Ivomectin and Panacur - they give panacur on a daily basis or something.

I find Barbi's methods have worked wonders for my rabbits - BUT - if they had not - I would have gone to a vet. I just know that many vets will encourage people to put down rabbits and it isn't at all necessary. They can live healthy and happy lives.

Peg

 

[jil101ca]

There is a parasity that horses get minly from possums and raccoon.It is caught by eating grass and hay that the critters have pooped on. It cause "wobbles" lack of control or weakness with the hind end. The parasite lives in the spine and course of treatment is panacur over a long period of time.I was never told whatthe parsite is calledbut I think it is the same thing.