Health status of rabbits infested with sarcoptic mange with different lesion scores

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the health status of rabbits with Sarcoptes scabiei (S. scabiei) lesions scores. From August 2022 to August 2023, 200 domestic rabbits were thoroughly inspected for the presence of mange in their bodies. Lesion scores were recorded; moreover, sera were collected for biochemical analysis, along with infested skin and spleen samples from the infested animals. The clinical skin lesions were present around the head, ears, neck, trunk, feet, and genitalia, which determined the lesion score. The skin lesion scores on the external ear margins, head, nose, and toes were indexed for 5 scores. Infested and un-infested control rabbits were divided into two groups of 10 each according to lesion score, and blood samples were collected from the ear vein for five milliliters of blood. Serum nitric oxide (NOx) and Major histocompatibility class I (MHC-I) were evaluated. The affected rabbits suffered from malnutrition and emaciation. There were also indications of scratching, itching, fur loss, hyperemia, and thickening of the skin with crust formation. The mite specimens in our study were identified as S. scabiei based on the ITS2 gene sequence submitted to GenBank (Accession No. PQ130162). The results of the phylogenetic analysis based on the ITS2 were performed using MEGA 7 software. Serum nitric oxide was evaluated according to the lesion scores; a score of 0 was negative healthy, and then the serum nitric oxide levels were elevated in accordance with the increase in the severity of the diseases as indicated by the lesion scores. There were measurable quantities of major histocompatibility class (MHC)-I mRNA that was examined in each group lesion score, either in the skin or the spleen. The spleen expression profile was higher in all groups than in the skin. With increasing of the score lesion the transcript levels increase.

Keywords: Major histocompatibility class I (MHC-I); Nitric oxide (NOx); S. scabies; Sarcoptic mange.