Rabbits are often the first alternative to a dog or cat as a pet, especially in families with children, due to their peaceful and calm behaviour. However, our domestic rabbits, as well as the wild ones, can act as transmitters of pathogenic agents, causing diseases both in people and in other animals, such as dogs and the cats. But don't worry, with the right hygienic and sanitary measures, you can enjoy your furry friend at home without worrying about anything.
Curious about what diseases rabbits carry? In this article on our site, we will tell you about the main parasitic, bacterial, viral and fungal diseases that rabbits can transmit.
What diseases can a rabbit transmit to people?
Under poor hygienic conditions, rabbits can transmit viral, fungal, bacteriological and parasitic diseases to people, such as the following.
Diseases caused by parasites
Some of the parasitic diseases transmitted by rabbits are:
- Cheyletiellosis: Cheyletiella parasotivorax is a mite that affects rabbits. It is very contagious and capable of infecting people, producing a localized or generalized dermatitis with multiple red bumps, both on the extremities and on the trunk, which cause itching. However, since people are not the final host of the mite, these symptoms usually disappear within a maximum of three weeks.
- Giardiasis: Giardia duodenalis is a flagellated protozoan that is transmitted from the feces of infected rabbits, which are usually pasty and with mucus. It is especially dangerous in immunosuppressed people or in children, so any change in the appearance of our rabbit's feces should make us suspect this parasitosis.
- Leishmaniosis: It has been proven that rabbits can act as transmitters of Leishmania infantum, but it is necessary for a sandfly mosquito to mediate between the rabbit and the person for the disease to be transmitted. In people this disease causes difficulty breathing and swallowing, ulcers on the skin, mouth and lips, congestion and nosebleeds. It can also cause visceral leishmaniasis, which in children produces diarrhoea, fever, cough and vomiting; while in adults symptoms such as fever, fatigue, weakness, loss of appetite, abdominal pain, weight loss and cold sweats occur.
- Coccidiosis: is a disease caused by protozoa that primarily affects the digestive system and can cause diarrhea (sometimes bloody), inflammation bowel and dehydration. Eimeria is the most important parasite in rabbits and can be transmitted to people primarily by handling rabbit feces.
- Microsporidiosis: Encephalitozoon cuniculi is a very common parasite in rabbits. If transmitted to humans, it can cause systemic disease primarily involving the brain and kidneys.
Diseases caused by fungi
Sick rabbits can also spread the following fungal diseases:
- Tiña: after contact with the skin or hair, we can become infected with the spores of dermatophyte fungi of the genera Microsporum and Trichophyton. The hyphae grow in the stratum corneum, lifting the hair cuticle and invading it throughout its length until it falls out. Affected rabbits often have circular bald patches. However, sometimes the animal is an asymptomatic carrier and it is only the caretaker who has the symptoms, which consist of itchy welts and circular areas with reddish edges located on the neck, chest and arms.
- Sporotrichosis: the fungus Sporothrix schenckii can be transmitted by rabbits and can produce a lymphocutaneous form in humans, which is the most frequent, with the appearance of papules that transform into pustules and these into subcutaneous nodules that slowly expand via the lymphatic system, until they ulcerate and exude. Another form is pulmonary and disseminated, being rare and with high mortality.
Diseases caused by bbacteria
On the other hand, among the diseases caused by bacteria that rabbits can transmit are:
- Melioidosis: The bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei causes abscesses in affected organs, such as the lungs, spleen, liver, and nearby lymph nodes.
- Campylobacteriosis: Rabbits can transmit Campylobacter jejuni. However, the symptoms are usually not serious. Among the symptoms that it usually causes, diarrhea, abdominal pain and fever stand out, which do not last more than a week.
- Salmonellosis: Rabbits can transmit Salmonella to humans, causing gastroenteric symptoms with vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain or fever.
- Pasteurellosis: pasteurellosis in rabbits is a very complex and characteristic disease of this species, caused by the bacterium Pasteurella multocida. It is transmitted by bites or scratches from affected rabbits and is characterized by the rapid formation of cellulitis with or without abscesses and bloody or purulent exudation from the wound, and can cause septic arthritis in the nearby joint. It can also colonize the human respiratory system, mainly when people have respiratory diseases such as COPD, and can cause pneumonia, bronchitis, and lung abscesses. In rare cases it can affect the abdomen, causing peritonitis.
- Yersiniosis: another of the diseases that rabbits transmit to people is yersiniosis, caused by the bacteria Yersinia pseudotuberculosis or Yersinia enterocolitica, the latter being the one that generates the most cases in humans and manifests with enterocolitis, diarrhea, fever and abdominal pain. Systemic infection is associated with liver and splenic abscesses, osteomyelitis, meningitis, and endocarditis.
- Tetanus: Caused by Clostridium tetani, a terrestrial and fecal microbe that rabbits can transmit by biting or scratching, especially on wounds.
- Tularemia: Also known as "Rabbit Fever", it is a rare disease caused by the bacterium Francisella tularensis. There are six clinical forms of tularemia, depending on the route of entry: ulceroglandular (most common, causes skin ulcers), glandular, oculoglandular (affects the eyes), oropharyngeal (affects the digestive system), pneumonic, and septicemic (affects the to the whole organism). Thus, the symptoms that infected people may present include ulcers in the infectious focus of contact, pain in the eyes, joints, throat and head, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, lymphadenopathy, enlargement of the spleen and liver, cough, pharyngitis and skin lesions (erythema).
- Q Fever: Coxiella burnetii is the agent that causes Q fever in rabbits, especially wild rabbits. It is transmitted through urine or feces. In cases that produce symptoms, this consists of fever, fatigue, chills, headache, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea.
Diseases caused by viruses
On the other hand, rabbits can also transmit lymphocytic choriomeningitis The aetiological agent of this disease is an Arenavirus that can spread to people through rabbit feces, and may not cause symptoms or, on the contrary, produce fever or serious conditions, such as encephalitis or meningitis. If infected by a pregnant woman, it can cause malformations or even fetal death Fetal mortality is less than 1%.
What diseases can a rabbit transmit to my cat or dog?
Among the diseases that rabbits can spread to other animals, such as cats or dogs, the following stand out:
Diseases caused by parasites
Some of the parasitic diseases that rabbits can transmit to our furry friends are:
- Toxoplasmosis: Toxoplasma gondii can be transmitted to our domestic felines by means of a rabbit, and can produce a subclinical picture or various symptoms, depending on the organs affected by the multiplication of the protozoan in their cells (stomach, intestine, liver, pancreas, eyes, lymph nodes, skin, muscles or central nervous system).
- Cheyletiellosis: Cheyletiella parasotivorax, very common in rabbits, can be transmitted not only to people, but also to our dogs and cats, in which it causes white flakes on the skin and itching.
- Thelaziosis: Thelazia callipaeda can be transmitted to our dogs and cats when a fly (the fruit fly) intervenes among them. It is a parasite that settles in the conjunctival sac of the eye and causes conjunctivitis, increased serous and tear secretion, as well as itching that causes scratching.
- Leishmaniosis: rabbits can act as reservoirs for the parasite Leishmania infantum, being able to be bitten by the transmitting mosquito and this bite our cats and dogs, in which they will produce leishmaniasis, characterized by enlarged lymph nodes and spleen, increased thirst and urination, fever, abnormal nail growth, ulcers in the mouth, nose and genitals, blepharitis, keratoconjunctivitis sicca, itchy exfoliative dermatitis, nodules, papules, pustules, uveitis, lameness, nosebleeds or neurological disorders. In cats it occurs in a similar way, but ulcerative and nodular dermatitis of the head or extremities, as well as uveitis and nodules and inflammation on the tongue and gums, are more common.
- Giardiasis: Giardia duodenalis can be transmitted to cats and dogs, causing a mucous or watery diarrhea. The prognosis is generally good, but weakened puppies and older or immunocompromised animals are at greater risk of the clinical situation worsening.
Diseases caused by bacteria
On the other hand, some of the diseases caused by bacteria that rabbits can transmit to cats and dogs are:
- Campylobacteriosis: Like people, rabbits can be a source of Campylobacter jejuni infection in our cats and dogs. However, it produces intestinal inflammation only when they are immunosuppressed or with other diseases.
- Yersiniosis: Yersinia pseudotuberculosis can be transmitted to cats, causing a disease with a poor prognosis characterized by the formation of pus granulomas in a generalized way throughout the body of our feline.
- Tularemia: As in people, Francisella tularensis can be transmitted from an infected rabbit, with cases in cats than in dogs, being able to produce fever, anorexia, dehydration, nasal and ocular secretions, muscular pains, enlargement of the liver and spleen. In cats it also causes ulcers on the tongue and palate.
Diseases caused by fungi
As for diseases caused by fungi that rabbits can transmit to other animals, the following stand out:
- Sporotrichosis: In dogs, Sporothrix schenckii is involved in the formation of nodules all over the body, but mainly on the trunk and head. They are also sometimes made in the liver, lungs, and bones instead of the skin. In cats, sporotrichosis varies from an asymptomatic infection to a fatal disseminated systemic disease, as nodules usually appear on the extremities, base of the tail, or head, which can be spread by grooming the cat and can become ulcerated and reach internal organs, causing weight loss, anorexia, fever, depression and dyspnea.
- Dermatophytosis or ringworm: rabbits can be a source of infection of Trichophyton mentagrophytes and Microsporum canis, characterized by the formation of various dermatological lesions, of which circular areas of alopecia stand out, in whose center broken hairs can be found, the skin may be reddened, with scaling or the formation of papules, pustules, nodules or crusts. In cats, moreover, generalized forms with large areas of diffuse alopecia and scaling are characteristic.
How can I prevent my rabbit from spreading diseases?
Some of the measures we can take to maintain a suitable and desirable coexistence with a rabbit and avoid contracting diseases are:
- Vaccine and deworming schedule: keep rabbits' vaccines and deworming up to date.
- Control feces: monitor changes in feces to realize if you may be sick, avoid contact with dogs, cats and children with them, since we have seen that many of the diseases mentioned are transmitted through this route.
- Veterinary control: take the rabbit to the exotics vet if at any time he is down, has altered his behavior or has clinical signs of disease, since it may have one of the infectious diseases that we have mentioned and measures will have to be taken as soon as possible, sometimes it will be necessary to isolate the animal.
- Monitor the condition of its fur: Frequently monitor the rabbit's skin for lesions compatible with parasites, as well as to try to prevent it from getting mosquitoes bite, it is important to control the good he alth of our pet.
- Personal hygiene: It is important to wash our hands after coming into contact with rabbit feces or urine. If you have dogs or cats that may come into contact with wild rabbits or their viscera, it is especially important to keep them under control.
