This study was conducted to investigate the causes of mortality in young rabbits. A total of 110 V-Line breed female rabbits aged 5 m were used in this study. Rabbit kits were examined daily in pre- and postweaning stages to detect clinical disorders that caused death. The postmortem examination was carried out on dead kits. Furthermore, rabbits were examined for the probable bacteriological and parasitological causes of death. Fecal samples were collected from each dead kit and examined by standard microbiological procedures for bacterial pathogens and macroscopically and microscopically for the presence of endo- and ectoparasites. Throughout two breeding seasons, 2238 newborns were obtained, of which 1736 died, accounting for a 77.57% mortality rate. During preweaning (1st month of age) and postweaning (up to 3 months of age), 1501 (67.10%) and 235 (31.90%) deaths were recorded, respectively. A postweaning fecal examination revealed that 198 out of 229 (86.50%) were diarrheic rabbits due to Eimeria infection. Cittotaenia spp. eggs were detected in 4.37% of fecal samples, and mites (Sarcoptis scabiei) were present in 6.55%. E. coli was detected in 100% of examined animals during pre- and postweaning periods; however, Salmonella spp. were 97.22% and 43.67, respectively. Managemental risk factors were the main causes in preweaning mortality, including insufficient milk supply (37.37%), cannibalism (26.38%), mange infestation of a rabbit doe (22.20%), mastitis (4.30%), lack of doe care (5.00%), bronchopneumonia (2.13%), and enteritis (1.80%). However, risk factors in postweaning mortality included sudden death with general septicemia (13.80%), enteritis (9.63%), bronchopneumonia (5.43%), mange infestation (2.04%), and malnutrition (0.81%). In conclusion, the etiology of preweaning mortality in kits was related mainly to the doe, especially managemental risk factors. However, a combination of multiple pathogenic agents (parasites and bacteria) and managemental factors was reported in the postweaning stage. Careful attention must be paid to avoid these causes.
Simple SummaryThere are limitations for using chemical products in meat production. The use of prebiotics to control Eimeria infections in rabbits may be of value. Prebiotics as a prophylaxis resulted in diminishing adverse effects caused by Eimeria spp. through decreasing fecal oocyst counts, retaining body weight, and reducing the number of parasitic stages in the intestinal tissues when compared with the non-supplemented controls. AbstractThis study was conducted to investigate the effect of prebiotic supplementation against intestinal coccidiosis in rabbits. Fifty male rabbits aged 35–60 days (1–1.5 kg) were divided into prophylactic and therapeutic experiments (five groups, 10 rabbits per group). Prophylactic experiment had prebiotic supplemented (PS-P), non-supplemented infected control (NI-P), and non-supplemented non-infected control (NN-P) groups. Ten days post-prebiotic supplementation (PPS), rabbits in groups PS-P and NI-P were infected orally with 5.0 × 104 sporulated oocysts of mixed Eimeria species. However, therapeutic experiment had prebiotic supplemented (PS-T) and untreated infected (UI-T) groups of naturally infected rabbits with Eimeria species. A significant reduction in oocyst count per gram feces (OPG) (p ≤ 0.05) was reported in the PS-P (57.33 × 103 ± 2.84) and NI-P (130.83 × 103 ± 43.38) groups during the experiment. Additionally, rabbits in groups (PS-P, 970.33 ± 31.79 g and NI-P, 870.66 ± 6.66 g) showed weight loss after infection. However, a significant (p ≤ 0.05) decrease in OPG was observed at day seven PPS in the PS-T group (4 × 103 ± 0.00) when compared with the UI-T group (32 × 103 ± 7.54). Furthermore, the PS-T group had a higher body weight than rabbits in the UI-T group. Histopathological findings of the intestinal tissues (duodenum, jejunum, and ileum) showed that the counts of the endogenous stages were significantly higher in the NI-P and UI-T groups than in the prebiotic-supplemented groups (PS-P and PS-T). Supplementation of the prebiotic did not have any adverse effects on biochemical parameters, such as AST, ALT, creatinine, total protein, and total cholesterol. In conclusion, prebiotic supplementation can be used to minimize the adverse effects of intestinal coccidiosis in rabbits, which in turn limits body weight loss, especially for the prophylaxis of coccidial infection.
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Coccidian infection may promote the proliferation of gut bacteria of the family Enterobacteriaceae. Bacterial infections by members of this family in rabbits can induce a negative impact on their health and lead to high mortality, especially in young individuals. This study aimed to investigate the effect of prebiotic treatment on Escherichia coli and Salmonella species during natural intestinal coccidiosis in rabbits. Forty-five rabbits were selected from a rabbit farm in Beni-Suef, Egypt. Out of the 45 rabbits, 15 were coccidia-free and used as the negative control group (NC group) and 30 were naturally infected with coccidia. The infected rabbits were randomly divided into two equal groups, the positive control group (PC) and the prebiotic treated group (PT) which was orally treated with prebiotic for 8 successive days. Faecal oocyst count was assessed daily during the course of treatment. At 8 days post-treatment, 5 rabbits from each group were euthanised for the microbiological examination of the intestinal tract. On day 8 posttreatment, the PT group showed a significant (P≤0.05) reduction in the oocyst count (5.33 ×10 3 ± 0.89) with a significant (P≤0.05) decline in the prevalence of E. coli and Salmonella (66.7 % and 26.4%, respectively). The PC group showed highly a significant oocyst count (21.67×10 3 ± 0.82 OPG), with a significant increase in the prevalence of E. coli and Salmonella (86.7 % and 46.7 %, respectively). The NC group remained coccidian free and exhibited only E. coli with no Salmonella infection. The in vitro susceptibility test showed that E. coli isolates were highly resistant to most of the tested antimicrobials while Salmonella isolates showed variable resistance profiles. In conclusion, the prebiotic treatment significantly reduced the prevalence of E. coli and Salmonella infections coexisted with intestinal coccidiosis naturally infected rabbits.
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