INFECTIOUS MOTOR PARALYSIS IN YOUNG RABBITS.

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Pathology
• Microbiology
• Infectious Diseases

Background:

• Attempts to transmit human infantile paralysis virus to rabbits and guinea pigs were unsuccessful.
• Previous research did not identify the observed paralytic disease or associated organism in rabbits.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the cause of a spontaneous paralytic disease observed in young rabbits.
• To characterize the organism associated with the observed paralysis.

Main Methods:

• Inoculation of rabbits and guinea pigs with suspected infantile paralysis virus.
• Clinical observation of animals for signs of paralysis.
• Microscopic examination of affected animals' tissues and urine for causative agents.

Main Results:

• Infection attempts with human infantile paralysis virus failed.
• A novel paralytic disease was observed in rabbits, associated with a distinct organism.
• The organism was found in multiple organs and urine of affected rabbits, causing nerve cell destruction.
• Disease transmission via fleabites was considered possible but unlikely.

Conclusions:

• The observed paralytic disease in rabbits is distinct from human infantile paralysis.
• A newly identified organism, potentially a protozoan parasite, is the likely cause of this paralytic disease.
• The organism's presence in urine suggests contact transmission is a possible route.