Symptoms and Prevention and Treatment Methods of Bordetella bronchiseptica Infection in Rabbits

[Pathogen] Bordetella bronchiseptica, an oval to rod-shaped pleomorphic small bacillus, Gram-negative, often showing bipolar staining.

[Epidemiological characteristics] This disease occurs mostly in spring and autumn when the climate changes easily, and infection mainly occurs through the respiratory tract. The pathogen often parasitizes the respiratory tract of domestic rabbits, so when the body's resistance is reduced due to factors such as sudden climate changes, colds, and parasitic diseases, or when other predisposing factors such as dust and strong irritating gases make the upper respiratory tract mucosa vulnerable, the disease is easily triggered. The rhinitis type is often endemic, while the bronchopneumonia type is mostly sporadic. Adult rabbits are often chronic cases, while young rabbits and growing rabbits are mostly acute cases. This disease can also occur concurrently with pasteurellosis or listeriosis.

[Symptoms] Rhinitis type: relatively common, with serous or mucous nasal discharge, the course of disease is generally short, and most can recover. Bronchopneumonia type: relatively rare, with mucous or purulent nasal discharge, rhinitis that does not heal for a long time, accelerated breathing, poor appetite, gradual emaciation, the course of disease lasts from weeks to months, and some cases result in death.

[Pathological changes] Rhinitis type: the nasal mucosa is congested and red, with serous or mucous secretions attached. Bronchopneumonia type: the bronchial mucosa is congested and hemorrhagic, with mucous or purulent secretions in the lumen. The lungs have abscesses of varying sizes and numbers, as small as millet grains and as large as table tennis balls. Sometimes there are abscesses on the thoracic serosa and in the liver, kidneys, testes, etc. In addition, purulent pleurisy and pericarditis may also be seen.

[Differential diagnosis] The main symptoms and lesions of this disease are nasal discharge and lung abscesses, so it should be differentiated from the following diseases.

Pasteurellosis: see the differential diagnosis of rabbit pasteurellosis.

Staphylococcosis: lung abscesses are relatively rare, and the primary site of abscesses is often under the skin and in the muscles.

Corynebacteriosis: there are small purulent foci in the lungs, kidneys, and subcutis; the pathogens are Corynebacterium kutscheri and Corynebacterium pyogenes, Gram-positive, with one end thicker.

[Prevention and treatment]

(1) Adhere to self-breeding and self-raising; if breeding rabbits are introduced, they should be isolated and observed for 1 month;

(2) Strengthen feeding management and carry out routine veterinary hygiene and epidemic prevention work well;

(3) Promptly detect suspected rabbits with rhinitis symptoms and give them treatment or cull them;

(4) For treatment, the following antibiotics or sulfonamides can be used: kanamycin, 10-30 mg per kg body weight, twice daily, for 3-4 consecutive days, intramuscular injection; gentamicin, 10,000-20,000 units each time, twice daily, for 3-4 consecutive days, intramuscular injection; chloramphenicol, 10-25 mg per kg body weight, twice daily, for 3-4 consecutive days, intramuscular injection; streptomycin, 5,000-10,000 units per kg body weight, twice daily, for 3-4 consecutive days, intramuscular injection; sulfadiazine, 0.05-0.2 g per kg body weight, twice daily, for 5 consecutive days, intramuscular injection; phthalylsulfathiazole, 0.2-0.3 g per kg body weight, twice daily, for 5 consecutive days, oral administration. Cases of lung abscess generally have a poor treatment response, so they should be culled promptly.