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E. Cuniculi or Encephalitozoon cuniculi is an emerging disease in pet rabbits.

This is a parasitic infestation of the blood stream. E.cuniculi is a tiny single celled organism called a protozoon, and needs to live inside a host cell to survive. It belongs to the family Microspora. These are spore-forming parasites. Rabbits catch it from being in contact with the urine of infected rabbits, and it can also be transmitted to baby rabbits in the womb from an infected mother.

More recently human infections with this parasite have been diagnosed. It is essential that rabbit owners get into the habit of washing hands after handling their pet, as an infected rabbit will not necessarily show symptoms. Much is still unknown about the disease, but I will attempt to clarify what I know about the clinical signs, diagnosis, treatment and control of this parasitic infection.

Once the parasite has entered the rabbit's body it is carried in the blood circulation to organs such as the liver, kidney and central nervous system (brain and spinal cord). Once inside the host, the parasite multiples. infecting nearby cells and pass into the blood to other organs. The life cycle lasts three to five weeks. This causes inflammation, primarily in the liver, kidney, brain and spinal cord and results in clinical signs in the rabbit.

Later on in the rabbit's life the spores may cause cataracts and lens rupture resulting in inflammation within the eye. This is a serious condition and is painful to the rabbit. The infection sometimes remains hidden in a rabbit and the rabbit can carry the parasite with the possibility of passing it on to other rabbits. This makes control of the disease in a rabbitry or breeders establishment more difficult.

Clinical signs and symptoms

A proportion of rabbits develop clinical signs. These include; head tilt, unsteadiness, weakness of the hind legs, neck spasm and urinary incontinence, kidney disease and eye disease. However, other causes of head tilt and neurological disease in rabbits should be ruled out, such as spinal trauma, inherited congenital abnormalities (splay leg), abscesses, middle ear infections.

Rabbits with severe head tilt are often associated with E.cuniculi infection.

Blood samples taken can confirm the infection or indicates that the rabbit has been exposed to the parasite, but does not indicate what will happen. There could be any one of three scenarios in this case; the rabbit could just have become infected (early infection), prior to the development of clinical signs, could be chronically infected, with no clinical signs or could have been previously infected and then recovered.

Treatment and prevention

Prevention can be offered by regularly worming rabbits every three months with benzimidazole drugs, such as Panacur and Valbazen, which is given orally. If rabbits are allowed to graze, them they should be done every two months as grazing exposes a rabbit to contamination from wildlife. It is good practice to worm your rabbits routinely every three months. These anti-parasitic drugs are obtainable from your vet or can be bought in large pets shops, such as Pets at Home. Equestrian or farm shops also sell them but if you choose to buy these drugs, then the dose should be carefully calculated according to the rabbit’s weight, following the instructions on the container. Remember that if purchasing these drugs from equestrian or farm shops, then they are sold in quantities large enough to treat horses and cattle. Anti-inflammatory drugs can be given to reduce pain and inflammation in rabbits with an active infection. If the eyes are affected, then treatment with steroid eye drops and benzimidazole drugs by mouth should be undertaken. In suspect cases, then a 28 day course of oral benzimidazole drugs should be given once daily.

Ideally, if one intends to breed, then all the rabbits should screened and any positive rabbits isolated and treated. Blood tests should be taken again 4 weeks later to see if there is an active infection. These animals should remain isolated and treatment with benzimadazole drugs continued.

Awareness of E. Cuniculi in rabbits is important so that cases can be treated at an early stage. This disease in pet rabbits should be considered wherever there are suspicious clinical signs.

Author's Resource:

Victoria Carey GBAR RVECP Rodentologist

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