Rabbit dysentery: 1. Clinical, epizootological and bacteriological studies

Abstract

Individual and epizootological observations on scouring in a large flock of three-to 10-week-old growing rabbits indicate that spread from animal to animal is not characteristic in outbreaks of rabbit dysentery. Although the disease occurs chiefly after weaning, precipitation of the symptoms seems to be unrelated to weaning stress. Intestinal flora studies on infected and control animals have shown that the bacteriological background of the condition is varied. Marked increase of coliforms over controls occurred in 70 per cent of the cases, coliforms and clostridia had both increased in 20 per cent, and clostridia only in 5 per cent. In the remaining 5 per cent the intestinal flora did not differ from normal, although death from rabbit dysentery was readily obvious. Microscopic examinations for coccidial oocysts of mucosal scrapings from different intestinal segments have shown that oocyst counts sufficient to give rise to clinical coccidiosis were only exceptionally present.