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An investigation of Encephalitozoon cuniculi in the wild rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus in Victoria, Australia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 May 2009

J. C. Cox ,
D. Pye ,
J. W. Edmonds  and
Rosamond Shepherd
J. C. Cox
Affiliation:
Commonwealth Serum Laboratories, Poplar Road, Parkville, 3052, Victoria, Australia
D. Pye
Affiliation:
Commonwealth Serum Laboratories, Poplar Road, Parkville, 3052, Victoria, Australia
J. W. Edmonds
Affiliation:
Keith Turnbull Research Institute, Department of Crown Lands and Survey, Frankston, 3199, Victoria, Australia
Rosamond Shepherd
Affiliation:
Keith Turnbull Research Institute, Department of Crown Lands and Survey, Frankston, 3199, Victoria, Australia
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Summary

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Sera from 823 wild rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) collected from a number of geographic regions of Victoria, Australia over the past eight years were examined for antibodies to Encephalitozoon cuniculi, along with sera from 46 hares (Lepus europaeus) (Pallas) and 57 New Zealand wild rabbits. No sera were positive, implying that this common laboratory rabbit parasite is absent from wild rabbits in these areas. However, wild rabbits were found to be readily infected by the oral route with small numbers of tissue-culture-grown spores of E. cuniculi. A possible explanation for the absence of encephalitozoonosis in wild rabbits is that E. cuniculi infection places them at a biological disadvantage for survival. The natural hygiene habit of wild rabbits may also significantly decrease post-natal infection.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Hygiene , Volume 84 , Issue 2 , April 1980 , pp. 295 - 300
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1980

References

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