Altered immune responsiveness associated with Encephalitozoon cuniculi infection in rabbits

Abstract

The variation in immune response of two unrelated colonies of laboratory rabbits to high doses ofheat-killedBrucella abortus strain 19 was investigated. One was a mixed-breed, multicolored colony in which a high prevalence of encephalitozoonosis had been recorded, whereas the other rabbits were derived from a colony of Dutch-marked specific-pathogen-free rabbits. Although considerable variation in the immune response between individual rabbits was noticed at all bleeds, rabbits infected with Encephalitozoon cuniculi showed, on comparison with uninfected rabbits from either colony, a depressed immunoglobulin G response from week 5 of the antigen injection schedule and, from week 8, an elevated immunoglobulin M response.

Innate and Adaptive Immune Responses Against Microsporidia Infection in Mammals

“…Microsporidia like E. cuniculi are able to induce a strong antibody response. Increase of IgA, IgM, and IgG were detected in infected mice ( Cox, 1977 ; Sak and Ditrich, 2005 ; Omalu et al, 2007 ; Figure 3 ). However, these antibodies cannot protect IFN-γ knockout mice and athymic BALB/c (nu/nu) from death upon E. cuniculi infection ( Schmidt and Shadduck, 1983 ; Salat et al, 2004 ; Valencakova and Halanova, 2012 ), suggesting that the antibody alone is not powerful enough to completely clear the infection.…”

Applications of Serum Protein Electrophoresis in Exotic Pet Medicine

“…11 The hypergammaglobulinemia during encephalitozoonosis is usually mild to moderate; this value may be altered when rabbits with impaired immune response come in contact with the parasite, which may react with a decrease of circulating IgG and a possible increase in IgM. 12 The titration of IgM and IgG allows us to clarify the response against the parasite carried by the body at the time of collection. IgM increases usually in the early stages when the parasite exerts its action, decreasing up to be absent on the 38th day, whereas IgG increases more slowly in the course of infection but remains detectable for years.…”

Seroprevalence of antibodies to Encephalitozoon cuniculi in domestic rabbits in the United Kingdom

“…In pet rabbits the most likely route of infection is by the ingestion of spores in urine-contaminated food and water. Transplacental infection has also been reported, as has infection via the respiratory route following inhalation (Cox andothers 1979, Baneux andPognan 2002). Spores may survive in the environment in extreme conditions (Kucerova-Pospisilova and others 1999), but at a temperature of 22°C and in dry conditions they survive for four weeks.…”