Gema Chacón

The actual role of certain viruses, such as coronavirus (RbCoV) and parvovirus (LBoV), in the digestive diseases of rabbitries remains poorly understood. For this reason, we conducted three different studies. In the detection frequency study, carried out using samples from both sick and healthy animals from farms with recurrent enteric problems, the presence and Cq values obtained by qPCR for these two viruses supported their implication in digestive disorders. In the lesional study, performed on samples from farms experiencing enteric disease outbreaks, the presence of lesions characteristic of both viruses was confirmed, along with other viral, bacterial, and parasitic agents that may have exacerbated the condition. Finally, in the epidemiological study, using samples from rabbits of different ages from farms with enteric problems, a higher prevalence of these viruses was observed during the growing phase, with a significant association with other bacterial agents such as Escherichia coli and Clostridium spiroforme. Overall, these results highlight the importance of both viruses in the aetiology of enteric disease and support their inclusion in the diagnostic enteric profile for rabbits.

Digestive disorders are the main cause of economic damage to rabbit farms. This article provides a global and updated overview of the diverse etiological agents causing them, since 757 clinical cases were analyzed during 2018 and 2019—Ninety-five from young rabbits (Escherichia coli (EPEC), Clostridium spiroforme, C. perfringens, rotavirus A, Bacteroides fragilis, and Eimeria spp. Also, 40 EPEC and 38 non EPEC isolates were investigated for the presence of other colonization factors (afr2, ral, liftA, and paa) by qPCR. EPEC is the most prevalent agent in young rabbits, and although different virulence profiles have been found among EPEC isolates, the liftA+, ral+, and paa+ profile is the most prevalent. C. spiroforme and EPEC are the more frequently detected pathogens in preweaning rabbits, but B. fragilis appears to be a new possible emergent pathogen. In growing rabbits, diverse co-infections between C. spiroforme, Eimeria spp., EPEC, and rotavirus are much more frequent than infections due to only one of them. Other pathogens detected in very few cases are Salmonella spp. and Enterococcus hirae.