[Cutaneous asthenia (Ehlers-Danlos syndrome) in a domestic rabbit]

Cutaneous asthenia is a connective tissue disease primarily of dogs and cats, resembling Ehlers-Danlos syndrome in man. This is a description of the disorder in a rabbit. The one-year-old female animal was presented because of two large gaping wounds of the skin. Clinical examination revealed a hyperextensible, thin, and fragile skin. The degree of skin extensibility was evaluated by means of a skin extensibility index (SEI: 19.2%) and compared with those of 4 healthy rabbits (SEI: 8.3%-14.3%). Clinical diagnosis was confirmed by histopathological examination of a skin biopsy revealing reduced packing density of collagen fibers. In addition a decreased number of hair follicles was observed. No conclusion could be drawn regarding the etiology, but existing literature strongly suggests a genetic cause (mostly autosomal dominant inheritance) in humans as well as in animals.