Diagnosis and Treatment Experience of One Case of Cysticercosis in Domestic Rabbits
One Case of Diagnosis and Treatment of Cysticercosis in Domestic Rabbits
Cysticercosis in domestic rabbits is a tapeworm larval disease caused by Cysticercus pisiformis (Taenia pisiformis larvae) or Coenurus serialis parasitizing the greater omentum, liver, mesentery, and abdominal cavity of domestic rabbits. This disease is a relatively common parasitic disease of domestic rabbits, occurs widely, and has a high infection rate, but it rarely kills rabbits. It is frequently found during clinical necropsy. In mild infections, there are no obvious symptoms; in severe infections, it can hinder the growth of domestic rabbits and may also cause death, bringing certain economic losses to rabbit production. In February 2007, a company in Jinan introduced a batch of adult domestic rabbits. Some rabbits had abdominal distension, and anti-inflammatory drugs were ineffective, so they were brought to our clinic. They were diagnosed with Cysticercus pisiformis disease in domestic rabbits. The results are reported as follows.
1. Incidence and Clinical Symptoms
In January 2007, the company introduced a batch of adult domestic rabbits. A few days later, varying numbers of domestic rabbits showed varying degrees of listlessness, and some had diarrhea; some showed abdominal distension, and sporadic deaths often occurred, with listlessness before death. The affected rabbits specifically showed decreased appetite, abdominal distension, increased abdominal circumference, mild diarrhea, lethargy, listlessness, pale visible mucous membranes, and progressive emaciation. They rarely died, and deaths were mostly due to extreme exhaustion. After the disease occurred, the rabbit flock was treated with ciprofloxacin, sulfonamides, and others, but the effects were poor.
2. Necropsy Lesions
The submitted rabbits were in poor nutritional condition. Necropsy showed no gross lesions in the heart or lungs; there were many fibrous traces on the liver (caused by the migration of oncospheres through the peritoneum); the stomach, kidneys, and spleen were basically normal; the small intestine contained thin chyme and was watery; there was ascites, light yellow, with poor coagulation; the main abnormality was that the greater omentum and mesentery had some cysts the size of mung beans, forming strings near connective tissue attachments. The cysts were oval or round, and the cyst wall was a thin membrane. When the cysts were opened, semitransparent cyst fluid and rice-grain-sized milky white larval nodules flowed out.
3. Laboratory Examination
3.1 Cyst Examination
The cystic contents were removed and placed on a glass slide to make a pressed preparation. Observed under a 10x microscope, the front end of the cysticercus was a scolex, on which there were four round suckers and a rostellum, and the rostellum also had two rows of small horny hooks.
3.2 Bacteriological Examination
Aseptically collected rabbit myocardium and liver were inoculated onto serum medium and cultured at 37°C for 24-72 hours; no bacterial growth occurred.
3.3 Virological Examination
The liver and spleen of the examined domestic rabbits were taken, ground, and made into a 1:5 suspension, repeatedly freeze-thawed 3 times, and centrifuged at 4000 rpm for 20 minutes. The supernatant was taken for a hemagglutination test with human type O blood; the tested samples were negative, and the rabbit plague sample control test was positive, thereby ruling out rabbit plague virus infection.
4. Diagnosis
Based on epidemiology, clinical symptoms, necropsy changes, and laboratory examination, the rabbit flock could be definitively diagnosed with Cysticercus pisiformis disease.
5. Prevention and Treatment
5.1 The whole flock was fed Qilu Baichongsha mixed into the feed, adding 800 g of Baichongsha per ton (1000 kg) of feed, for 5-7 consecutive days. After 5 days, the mental state of the rabbit flock improved markedly. After 7 days, one marked diseased domestic rabbit was killed and necropsied, and it was found that Cysticercus pisiformis disease had disappeared. Its remains could still be found on the greater omentum, but they were already difficult to identify.
5.2 Cysticercus pisiformis disease is mainly caused by improper management, so prevention should be primary. First, dogs kept by the rabbit farm should be regularly dewormed, and domestic dogs should be prevented from entering the rabbit farm, especially the feed room and rabbit housing. Second, the rabbit flock should be regularly dewormed with Baichongsha, adding 300-500 g per ton of feed, for 7 consecutive days, once every 2 months. Praziquantel can be given orally at 100 mg per kg body weight once, and again 24 hours later. Finally, rabbit waste should be properly handled, and the internal organs of diseased and dead rabbits must absolutely not be used to feed dogs, which can reduce artificial transmission. In addition, environmental sanitation on the rabbit farm should be improved, various tools and facilities should be disinfected frequently, and rodent prevention and deratization should also be done on the farm to prevent pathogens from entering the rabbit farm.
6. Discussion
6.1 Although the mortality rate of rabbit cysticercosis is low, the infection rate is high, the speed of transmission is very fast, and it is also difficult to completely cure. Moreover, diseased rabbits grow and develop slowly, are emaciated and weak, have reduced resistance, and have low feed conversion, causing certain economic losses to farmers. Farmers should attach great importance to the prevention of this disease.
6.2 Because farmers also have the habit of deworming domestic rabbits, it is generally assumed that internal parasitic diseases will not occur. However, investigations have found that the deworming drugs used by farmers are mainly those for nematodes, and they have almost no effect on tapeworms, flukes, and other helminths. Although deworming drugs are used many times, helminth diseases still occur. Therefore, it is recommended that rabbit farms use different classes of drugs for deworming at different stages to achieve satisfactory deworming results.
6.3 Deworming only when worms are seen is the consistent deworming method on many farms. The drawback of this method is that many parasites cannot be seen in the feces, so when drugs are used only after disease occurs, losses are unavoidable.
6.4 For deworming on rabbit farms, I recommend using Baichongsha together with ivermectin (avermectin) classes, for both internal and external deworming, killing both larvae and adults, with more obvious effects.
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Why is no one sitting on the sofa?
Taking one
--------------------------------------
Is the mortality rate serious?
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Cysticercus pisiformis disease
[Characteristics]
Cysticercus pisiformis parasitizes the organs of rabbits and is spherical. After rabbits ingest feed contaminated with Cysticercus pisiformis eggs, the oncospheres emerge from the eggshells, enter the intestinal wall blood vessels, reach the liver with the bloodstream, and begin to develop. After traveling through the liver for 15-30 days, they emerge from the liver capsule, enter the abdominal cavity, and grow and develop into Cysticercus pisiformis in the mesentery, gastric omentum, and other areas.
[Symptoms and Necropsy Lesions]
1. In heavy infections, manifestations such as hepatitis and digestive disorders appear, such as decreased appetite, abdominal distension, listlessness, and chronic emaciation. Subcutaneous edema often occurs, and there is a relatively large amount of fluid in the abdominal cavity.
2. In severe chronic cases, enlargement and hardening of the liver may be seen; in the mesentery, omentum, liver surface, and other areas, there are varying numbers of Cysticercus pisiformis. Sometimes the cysticerci can number in the dozens or hundreds, resembling clusters of grapes.
[Prevention and Control Measures]
Prevention: Prevent dog and cat feces from contaminating rabbit feed and drinking water.
Treatment: For suspected cases, use Luchongjing by intramuscular injection, 0.1-0.2 ml/kg, for 5 consecutive days.
If needed, please contact: 13203806202
1. Incidence and Clinical Symptoms
In January 2007, the company introduced a batch of adult domestic rabbits. A few days later, varying numbers of domestic rabbits showed varying degrees of listlessness, and some had diarrhea; some showed abdominal distension, and sporadic deaths often occurred, with listlessness before death. The affected rabbits specifically showed decreased appetite, abdominal distension, increased abdominal circumference, mild diarrhea, lethargy, listlessness, pale visible mucous membranes, and progressive emaciation. They rarely died, and deaths were mostly due to extreme exhaustion. After the disease occurred, the rabbit flock was treated with ciprofloxacin, sulfonamides, and others, but the effects were poor.
2. Necropsy Lesions
The submitted rabbits were in poor nutritional condition. Necropsy showed no gross lesions in the heart or lungs; there were many fibrous traces on the liver (caused by the migration of oncospheres through the peritoneum); the stomach, kidneys, and spleen were basically normal; the small intestine contained thin chyme and was watery; there was ascites, light yellow, with poor coagulation; the main abnormality was that the greater omentum and mesentery had some cysts the size of mung beans, forming strings near connective tissue attachments. The cysts were oval or round, and the cyst wall was a thin membrane. When the cysts were opened, semitransparent cyst fluid and rice-grain-sized milky white larval nodules flowed out.
3. Laboratory Examination
3.1 Cyst Examination
The cystic contents were removed and placed on a glass slide to make a pressed preparation. Observed under a 10x microscope, the front end of the cysticercus was a scolex, on which there were four round suckers and a rostellum, and the rostellum also had two rows of small horny hooks.
3.2 Bacteriological Examination
Aseptically collected rabbit myocardium and liver were inoculated onto serum medium and cultured at 37°C for 24-72 hours; no bacterial growth occurred.
3.3 Virological Examination
The liver and spleen of the examined domestic rabbits were taken, ground, and made into a 1:5 suspension, repeatedly freeze-thawed 3 times, and centrifuged at 4000 rpm for 20 minutes. The supernatant was taken for a hemagglutination test with human type O blood; the tested samples were negative, and the rabbit plague sample control test was positive, thereby ruling out rabbit plague virus infection.
4. Diagnosis
Based on epidemiology, clinical symptoms, necropsy changes, and laboratory examination, the rabbit flock could be definitively diagnosed with Cysticercus pisiformis disease.
5. Prevention and Treatment
5.1 The whole flock was fed Qilu Baichongsha mixed into the feed, adding 800 g of Baichongsha per ton (1000 kg) of feed, for 5-7 consecutive days. After 5 days, the mental state of the rabbit flock improved markedly. After 7 days, one marked diseased domestic rabbit was killed and necropsied, and it was found that Cysticercus pisiformis disease had disappeared. Its remains could still be found on the greater omentum, but they were already difficult to identify.
5.2 Cysticercus pisiformis disease is mainly caused by improper management, so prevention should be primary. First, dogs kept by the rabbit farm should be regularly dewormed, and domestic dogs should be prevented from entering the rabbit farm, especially the feed room and rabbit housing. Second, the rabbit flock should be regularly dewormed with Baichongsha, adding 300-500 g per ton of feed, for 7 consecutive days, once every 2 months. Praziquantel can be given orally at 100 mg per kg body weight once, and again 24 hours later. Finally, rabbit waste should be properly handled, and the internal organs of diseased and dead rabbits must absolutely not be used to feed dogs, which can reduce artificial transmission. In addition, environmental sanitation on the rabbit farm should be improved, various tools and facilities should be disinfected frequently, and rodent prevention and deratization should also be done on the farm to prevent pathogens from entering the rabbit farm.
6. Discussion
6.1 Although the mortality rate of rabbit cysticercosis is low, the infection rate is high, the speed of transmission is very fast, and it is also difficult to completely cure. Moreover, diseased rabbits grow and develop slowly, are emaciated and weak, have reduced resistance, and have low feed conversion, causing certain economic losses to farmers. Farmers should attach great importance to the prevention of this disease.
6.2 Because farmers also have the habit of deworming domestic rabbits, it is generally assumed that internal parasitic diseases will not occur. However, investigations have found that the deworming drugs used by farmers are mainly those for nematodes, and they have almost no effect on tapeworms, flukes, and other helminths. Although deworming drugs are used many times, helminth diseases still occur. Therefore, it is recommended that rabbit farms use different classes of drugs for deworming at different stages to achieve satisfactory deworming results.
6.3 Deworming only when worms are seen is the consistent deworming method on many farms. The drawback of this method is that many parasites cannot be seen in the feces, so when drugs are used only after disease occurs, losses are unavoidable.
6.4 For deworming on rabbit farms, I recommend using Baichongsha together with ivermectin (avermectin) classes, for both internal and external deworming, killing both larvae and adults, with more obvious effects.
--------------------------------------
Why is no one sitting on the sofa?
Taking one
--------------------------------------
Is the mortality rate serious?
--------------------------------------
Cysticercus pisiformis disease
[Characteristics]
Cysticercus pisiformis parasitizes the organs of rabbits and is spherical. After rabbits ingest feed contaminated with Cysticercus pisiformis eggs, the oncospheres emerge from the eggshells, enter the intestinal wall blood vessels, reach the liver with the bloodstream, and begin to develop. After traveling through the liver for 15-30 days, they emerge from the liver capsule, enter the abdominal cavity, and grow and develop into Cysticercus pisiformis in the mesentery, gastric omentum, and other areas.
[Symptoms and Necropsy Lesions]
1. In heavy infections, manifestations such as hepatitis and digestive disorders appear, such as decreased appetite, abdominal distension, listlessness, and chronic emaciation. Subcutaneous edema often occurs, and there is a relatively large amount of fluid in the abdominal cavity.
2. In severe chronic cases, enlargement and hardening of the liver may be seen; in the mesentery, omentum, liver surface, and other areas, there are varying numbers of Cysticercus pisiformis. Sometimes the cysticerci can number in the dozens or hundreds, resembling clusters of grapes.
[Prevention and Control Measures]
Prevention: Prevent dog and cat feces from contaminating rabbit feed and drinking water.
Treatment: For suspected cases, use Luchongjing by intramuscular injection, 0.1-0.2 ml/kg, for 5 consecutive days.
If needed, please contact: 13203806202