Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 27, 2026
An Experimental Model of Diet-Induced Metabolic Syndrome in Rabbit: Methodological Considerations, Development, and Assessment
Published on: April 20, 2018
Survey of Salmonellae occurrence in meat-producing rabbitries in Switzerland
Julia Schädler1, Julia Schwarz2, Judith Peter-Egli3
1National Reference Centre for Poultry and Rabbit Diseases (NRGK) Institute for Food Safety and Hygiene Vetsuisse Faculty University of Zurich Zurich Switzerland.
Background:
An outbreak of salmonellosis due to Salmonella Typhimurium was detected coincidentally in a Swiss meat rabbitry, given that surveillance of Salmonella in rabbits is not mandatory in Switzerland.
Methods:
To assess the extent of potentially subclinical Salmonella carriage in meat rabbits, faecal pool samples of 50 farms (90% of Swiss commercial rabbitries) with ground covering litter and group housing were bacteriologically tested. Additionally, 236 rabbits showing clinical signs compatible with intestinal diseases, such as salmonellosis, were examined postmortem and analysed bacteriologically. Salmonella isolates were serotyped and analysed by whole genome sequencing (WGS).
Results:
Salmonella Typhimurium was detected in three commercial farms (6.0% of all tested farms). The affected farms were directly linked to the animal trade and Salmonella isolates were shown to be identical by WGS.
Conclusion:
There is no increased hazard for Salmonella carriage in the animal welfare-friendly Swiss husbandry systems in general, despite risk factors such as ground covering litter.
