Epizootic Rabbit Enteropathy: experimental transmission and clinical characterization

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Medicine
• Animal Pathology
• Rabbit Farming

Background:

• Epizootic Rabbit Enteropathy (ERE) emerged in France in 1996, becoming a primary cause of mortality in domestic rabbit farming.
• Field diagnosis of ERE is challenging due to frequent co-infections with other rabbit pathogens.

Purpose of the Study:

• To experimentally characterize Epizootic Rabbit Enteropathy (ERE) using specific pathogenic-free (SPF) rabbits.
• To establish an infectious material for etiological research on this emerging rabbit disease.

Main Methods:

• Preparation of a virulent inoculum from field samples of diseased rabbit intestinal contents, purified to exclude known pathogens.
• Inoculation of 407 SPF rabbits across five trials to observe disease progression and clinical signs.
• Necropsy examination to identify characteristic pathological lesions.

Main Results:

• ERE demonstrated high contagiousness with 30-40% mortality and nearly 100% morbidity.
• Clinical signs appeared within one day post-inoculation, peaking at 4-6 days, with reduced growth observed from day two.
• Pathological findings included dilated stomach and/or duodenum with liquid and gas, but no inflammatory lesions; the etiological agent remains unidentified.

Conclusions:

• The intestinal content of ERE-affected rabbits is infectious as early as the second day post-inoculation.
• This study provides the experimental foundation for ongoing etiological investigations into ERE across European laboratories.