Encephalitozoonosis in rabbits

Künzel, Frank; Joachim, Anja

doi:10.1007/s00436-009-1679-3

Cited by 90 publications

(100 citation statements)

References 72 publications

(117 reference statements)

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“…Therefore, the presented results can be compared with similar studies perfomed in European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) belonging to the same order Lagomorpha. For example, the seroprevalence 24.7% (20/81) was detected by IFAT in wild rabbits in Australia [7], 44.7% (21/47), in wild rabbits from the Slovak Republic tested by ELISA [8], and 3.9% (8/204) in wild rabbits from France tested by IFAT [9].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence of antibodies to Encephalitozoon cuniculi in European hares (Lepus europaeus)

Bártová¹,

Marková²,

Sedlák

2015

Ann Agric Environ Med.

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Introduction and objectives. Encephalitozoon cuniculi is an obligate intracellular parasite infecting especially domestic rabbits; however, spontaneous infections have been documented in other mammalian species such as dogs, cats, rabbits, horses, cows and sheep all over the world. Encephalitozoonosis is a chronic and latent disease leading to renal failure, encephalitis, disorders of brain and urinary tract, and may lead to death. There are limited reports on encephalitozoonosis in wildlife, which is why the aim of this study was to detect the prevalence of antibodies to E. cuniculi in European hares. Materials and methods. Samples of blood sera from 701 wild hares from the Czech Republic (n = 245), the Slovak Republic (n = 211) and Austria (n = 245) were examined by indirect immunofluorescence antibody test (IFAT); samples with titer ≥ 40 were marked as positive. Results. The total seroprevalence of E. cuniculi antibodies was 1.42% with titres in the range 40-640. Antibodies to E. cuniculi were detected in 2.9% (7/245), 0.8% (2/245) and 0.47% (1/211) hares from the Czech Republic, Austria and the Slovak Republic, respectively. Conclusions. This is the first detection of antibodies to E. cuniculi in hares from Europe showing that hares could be exposed to E. cuniculi infection, however with a low rate.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence of antibodies to Encephalitozoon cuniculi in European hares (Lepus europaeus)

Bártová¹,

Marková²,

Sedlák

2015

Ann Agric Environ Med.

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“…7,10,14 Phylogenetic analysis proved the close relationship of this organism, which was traditionally considered as protozoa, with fungi. 17 The unicellular ellipsoidal spores exhibit a size of approximately 2 µm in length 11,14 and a thick spore wall, which is composed of 3 layers: an outer proteinaceous exospore, a chitin-rich endospore, and an inner plasma membrane.…”

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confidence: 96%

Comparative evaluation of specific methods for labeling of Encephalitozoon cuniculi in paraffin wax–embedded tissue samples

et al. 2012

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Abstract. Detection of the microsporidian Encephalitozoon cuniculi in tissue samples is considered difficult. The aim of the current study was to determine whether immunohistochemistry (IHC) and in situ hybridization (ISH) represent reliable methods for the detection of E. cuniculi in postmortem tissue samples of rabbits. Paraffin-embedded tissue sections of brain and kidneys of 48 naturally infected pet rabbits, 10 negative controls, and the eyes of 3 further rabbits were used for all investigations. By IHC in 19 animals (37.3%), spores could be clearly detected and were all equally stained. By ISH using a digoxigenin-labeled oligonucleotide probe, only 6 animals (11.8%) proved undoubtedly positive. In these cases, many parasite-like objects revealed strong typical purple-black positive signals. However, several of the examined samples showed only partial staining of the pathogen or unclear results. Thus, in order to find an explanation for these inconsistent ISH results and to take a more detailed look at the different developmental stages of the organism, electron microscopy was applied. Empty spores, which had already discharged their polar filaments, prevailed in total number. Taken together, both techniques are rather insensitive, but under the condition that sufficient numbers of microsporidia are present, IHC can be recommended for specific identification of E. cuniculi in tissue samples. In contrast, ISH failed to detect some developmental stages of the organism, and, as such, ISH is therefore considered an inappropriate diagnostic method.

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“…Some authors suggest a vertical transmission in lagomorphs (Giordano et al, 2005). The disease is more common in pet rabbits (37-68%) than in the wild (Kunzel et al, 2010). In our study, 104 affected rabbits belonged to the group of meat animals, and only 6 were pets.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 44%

“…Didier et al have identified three E. cuniculi strains (I rabbit, II mouse, III dog) based on the number of repeated sequences in the ribosomal internal transcribed region. All confirmed cases in humans since 1994, related to immunocompromised patients, mainly HIVseropositive, were due exclusively to the dog and rabbit strain (Weber et al , 1997;Kunzel et al , 2010). It would therefore be interesting to analyse the cases described in this study with accurate biomolecular investigation in order to determine which strain they belong to.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Zoonoses Surveillance in Italy (2000-2009): Investigation on Animals with Neurological Symptoms

Iulini¹,

Pintore²,

Maurella³

et al. 2011

Non-Flavivirus Encephalitis

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Non-Flavivirus Encephalitis 30Neurological diseases include those caused by highly pathogenic neurotropic agents such as rabies viruses and opportunistic agents that may develop disease in the immunocompromised. These agents belong to the genus Rhabdovirus, Herpesvirus, Flavivirus, Alphavirus, Bornavirus and Circovirus; others are bacteria such as Listeria monocytogenes, Borrelia garinii and Borrelia afzelii, Chlamydophila psittaci, Campylobacter jejuni, or parasites such as Toxoplasma gondii, Encephalitozoon cuniculi, and Halicephalobus gingivalis. Recognized neurozoonotic agents among the fungi are Aspergillus spp., Mucor spp., Candida spp. and Cryptococcus neoformans. Within the group of food-borne zoonoses, E. coli O157: H7 is a particularly relevant syndrome because ruminants, especially cattle, are the main reservoir of the bacterium, while milk and dairy products and meat are the vehicle of infection. At a 2004 meeting on emerging zoonoses jointly organized by the WHO, FAO and OIE, the factors that contribute to the emergence of zoonoses were carefully analyzed: greater pathogen adaptation and resistance (new strains); increased drug resistance; increased susceptibility of humans and animals; climate change and so on. Currently, there are about 60 (DPR 320/54 and European Directive 2003/99/EC), notifiable animal diseases in Italy, many of which are zoonoses, but this list is always likely to change. It is also worth pointing out that the existence of animal reservoirs (domestic and wild) and complex transmission mechanisms, by vector and food, make collaboration between human and veterinary medicine essential for ensuring public health safety. The objective of this study was to investigate the presence of neurological zoonoses or zoonotic agents in Italy, and to estimate the epidemiological impact of neurological diseases potentially transmissible to humans. It is important to assess which species are at risk of disease and which are the best reservoirs for pathogens in order to understand the cause of their onset and which measures could be taken against their spread.

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Encephalitozoonosis in rabbits

Cited by 90 publications

References 72 publications

Prevalence of antibodies to Encephalitozoon cuniculi in European hares (Lepus europaeus)

Prevalence of antibodies to Encephalitozoon cuniculi in European hares (Lepus europaeus)

Comparative evaluation of specific methods for labeling of Encephalitozoon cuniculi in paraffin wax–embedded tissue samples

Zoonoses Surveillance in Italy (2000-2009): Investigation on Animals with Neurological Symptoms

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