Paratuberculosis in European wild rabbits from the Iberian Peninsula

Of the non-ruminant wildlife species known to harbor Mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis (MAP), the rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) is thought to pose the greatest risk of transmission to cattle. We analyzed 80 hunter-harvested wild rabbits from a core study area in southern Spain, and sera from 157 wild rabbits sampled opportunistically on seven additional sites. Gross lesions compatible with paratuberculosis were observed in two of 80 necropsied rabbits. Histopathology revealed focal to diffuse multibacillary MAP-compatible lesions in 8 of 10 rabbits examined. Presence of MAP was confirmed in one rabbit with gross lesions by positive amplification curves for both IS900 and ISMAP02. However, no isolate was obtained from 47 samples by culture. We adapted an indirect ELISA for the detection of MAP antibodies. At the established cut-off of 0.5, 6 of 237 wild rabbit sera (2.5%) yielded a positive ELISA result. Antibodies were detected in rabbits from 3 of 8 sampling sites. Considering the increasing relevance of MAP infection for animal health, these results open a challenging field for future research.