An Etiologic Study of Rabbit Dermatitis at Large Rabbit Farms in South Korea

Abstract

This study was carried out between August and September 2007 to determine the causative agents and epidemiologic features of rabbit dermatitis in Korea. Rabbits were shipped to the laboratory in the College of Veterinary Medicine from 10 rabbit farms. A total of 520 hair, blood, and skin specimens collected from skin lesions of 40 rabbits with suspected dermatopathy were examined mycologically, bacteriologically, and parasitologically. The positive rates of dermatophytosis, bacterial skin dermatitis, and ectoparasite dermatitis were 95, 92.5, and 7.5%, respectively. The etiologic agents of dermatophytosis were identified as Trichophyton mentagrophyte (95%), non-dermatophytic filamentous fungi such as Aspergillus spp. (5%), and Cryptococcus humilocus (2.5%). With respect to bacteria-related skin dermatitis, Staphylococcus coagulase negative was the most common etiological agent. Staphylococcus aureus was the second most frequent causative agent. Most of the pathogenic isolates were resistant to tetracycline, and aminoglycosides such as amikacin and gentamicin were the most effective drugs against the pathologic bacteria isolated. Ectoparasites were rarely detected in this study. Only Psoroptes cuniculis was detected in 3 (7.5%) out of the 40 tested rabbits. The role of ectoparasites as a causative agent of dermatitis in rabbits in this study was minimal. Our results provide important information related to rabbit dermatitis treatments and researches.