Hayley411
Well-Known Member
Pretty much what the title says.
is EC contagious?
~Hayley
is EC contagious?
~Hayley
E. cuniculi
- Thread starter Hayley411
- Start date
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it is spread through contact with urine of another infected rabbit or in utero..so it is contagious in a sense
yet people have bonded pairs,,, one who has tested positve and the other who presents no symptoms
ec is opprotunistic in that it often is latent in a rabbit until either old age or another illness allows it to emerge.
it is a contagious disease but is often held on check by the immune system
yet people have bonded pairs,,, one who has tested positve and the other who presents no symptoms
ec is opprotunistic in that it often is latent in a rabbit until either old age or another illness allows it to emerge.
it is a contagious disease but is often held on check by the immune system
BlueCamasRabbitry
Well-Known Member
Yes, it is contagious!
Why, does one of your bunnies have it?
Emily
Why, does one of your bunnies have it?
Emily
ra7751
Well-Known Member
Umm...this might be better in the infirmary. EC is a very misunderstood issue. It happens to be near and dear to me as it has taken several rabbits here....including the namesake of our rescue years ago when nobody knew anything about EC. I have a personal vendetta against EC. I do extensive research and have developed some potentially very good treatments.
EC is a protozoa...one of the simplest organisms on earth. Nearly every domestic rabbit in the US carries EC sub-clinically. That means they already have it but the immune system is keeping it under control. The most often means of transmission is from an infected mother to her kits at birth. Transmission can also occur when there is direct contact with urine, or somewhere infected urine, has been when the spores of the protozoa are shedding. The spores can remain viable, and contagious, for quite some time outside a host. But in the real world, if you have a domestic rabbit, it already is carrying EC. It is also zoonotic which means it can be spread to other species including humans. Unless a human hasa really seriously compromised immune system, it is no real threat. Raccoons carry a similar parasite and so do opossums. Horses can develop a condition known as Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis (EPM) which is almosta clone of EC. The current treatment in horses is a drug called Marquis (Ponazuril). The problem with treating EC is that it is difficult for the currently used drugs to penetrate the blood/brain barrier and actually get to the parasite. Marquis can pass this barrier in horses and is showing great promise for use in rabbits.
The only way to specifically diagnose EC is post mortem. There will be significant lesions in both the brain and kidneys. Very few vets have actually seen a true case of EC and even fewer know anything about how to treat it. There are a lot of misconceptions about EC. Many cases of head tilt are blamed on EC. Truth is, EC does not directly cause head tilt. What EC does is overwhelm the immune system. The immune system attacks the EC as the primary threat and that allows opportunistic bacteria to invade and can cause roving infections....and since the ears are a weak spot in rabbits the bacteria finds an easy target. Except for obvious head trauma, every case of tilt we have had has been traced to an ear and/or brain stem infection caused by bacteria....not EC. But EC does have a role as it compromises the immune system. I now diagnose EC by looking at several issues. There is a blood test called a "titer" that will test for antibodies to EC in the blood. Every titer will show some degree of positive since all rabbits have been exposed. This test should not be taken literally but used as a piece of the puzzle. I look primarily for a specific neurological "marker". In every case of EC I have confirmed here, there was an initial presentation of a "lazy leg"....and in all the many cases I have treated or consulted, it has always been the left rear leg. It will "drag" or the rabbit may have a very slight stumble. This might only happen initially once or twice a week....and you might not ever see it. The next "marker" is usually some degree of urinary incontenance and the rabbit may be urine soaked. The urine may be very concentrated any sometime very smelly. It may look or feel gritty....that is the spores shedding. Those spores are damaging the kidneys as they shed. This is often misdiagnosed by vets as a urinary tract infection (and in a way it is) and the leg issue is contributed to pain from the kidneys. They will treat for a bacterial infection. This usually has minimal impact unless there is a little bacterial issue in the kidneys (and that is possible) but this treatment will not work against EC. Usually the immune system will step up the attack and it will appear things are getting better. But EC is a tough opponent and will return with a vengeance and will devastate the immune system. It is a wasting disease and takes the body before the mind. It is possible to offer a high quality of life to a rabbit with active EC. Eventually the left leg will become useless and the rabbit will go down in the hind quarter...but it is still possible to offer a good life. Eventually the spores will destroy the kidneys. Every rabbit we have lost to EC has been acute renal failure secondary to the scarring and lesions caused by the spores.
This is probably much more information than you asked for....but I will take any opportunity to educate others on EC. It is so misunderstood...and as I mentioned even by the best of vets. I have treated many here and will continue my research for an effective treatment. This thing made it personal by taking my rabbits. I want tohold this little monsteraccountable.
Randy
EC is a protozoa...one of the simplest organisms on earth. Nearly every domestic rabbit in the US carries EC sub-clinically. That means they already have it but the immune system is keeping it under control. The most often means of transmission is from an infected mother to her kits at birth. Transmission can also occur when there is direct contact with urine, or somewhere infected urine, has been when the spores of the protozoa are shedding. The spores can remain viable, and contagious, for quite some time outside a host. But in the real world, if you have a domestic rabbit, it already is carrying EC. It is also zoonotic which means it can be spread to other species including humans. Unless a human hasa really seriously compromised immune system, it is no real threat. Raccoons carry a similar parasite and so do opossums. Horses can develop a condition known as Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis (EPM) which is almosta clone of EC. The current treatment in horses is a drug called Marquis (Ponazuril). The problem with treating EC is that it is difficult for the currently used drugs to penetrate the blood/brain barrier and actually get to the parasite. Marquis can pass this barrier in horses and is showing great promise for use in rabbits.
The only way to specifically diagnose EC is post mortem. There will be significant lesions in both the brain and kidneys. Very few vets have actually seen a true case of EC and even fewer know anything about how to treat it. There are a lot of misconceptions about EC. Many cases of head tilt are blamed on EC. Truth is, EC does not directly cause head tilt. What EC does is overwhelm the immune system. The immune system attacks the EC as the primary threat and that allows opportunistic bacteria to invade and can cause roving infections....and since the ears are a weak spot in rabbits the bacteria finds an easy target. Except for obvious head trauma, every case of tilt we have had has been traced to an ear and/or brain stem infection caused by bacteria....not EC. But EC does have a role as it compromises the immune system. I now diagnose EC by looking at several issues. There is a blood test called a "titer" that will test for antibodies to EC in the blood. Every titer will show some degree of positive since all rabbits have been exposed. This test should not be taken literally but used as a piece of the puzzle. I look primarily for a specific neurological "marker". In every case of EC I have confirmed here, there was an initial presentation of a "lazy leg"....and in all the many cases I have treated or consulted, it has always been the left rear leg. It will "drag" or the rabbit may have a very slight stumble. This might only happen initially once or twice a week....and you might not ever see it. The next "marker" is usually some degree of urinary incontenance and the rabbit may be urine soaked. The urine may be very concentrated any sometime very smelly. It may look or feel gritty....that is the spores shedding. Those spores are damaging the kidneys as they shed. This is often misdiagnosed by vets as a urinary tract infection (and in a way it is) and the leg issue is contributed to pain from the kidneys. They will treat for a bacterial infection. This usually has minimal impact unless there is a little bacterial issue in the kidneys (and that is possible) but this treatment will not work against EC. Usually the immune system will step up the attack and it will appear things are getting better. But EC is a tough opponent and will return with a vengeance and will devastate the immune system. It is a wasting disease and takes the body before the mind. It is possible to offer a high quality of life to a rabbit with active EC. Eventually the left leg will become useless and the rabbit will go down in the hind quarter...but it is still possible to offer a good life. Eventually the spores will destroy the kidneys. Every rabbit we have lost to EC has been acute renal failure secondary to the scarring and lesions caused by the spores.
This is probably much more information than you asked for....but I will take any opportunity to educate others on EC. It is so misunderstood...and as I mentioned even by the best of vets. I have treated many here and will continue my research for an effective treatment. This thing made it personal by taking my rabbits. I want tohold this little monsteraccountable.
Randy
