World Rabbit Science - Vol. 29 (2)-2021
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- Polymorphisms in coding and non-coding regions of rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) myogenin (MyoG) gene
- Glutathione supplementation in semen extender improves rabbit sperm attributes during refrigeration
- Retrospective studies on rabbit haemorrhagic disease outbreaks caused by RHDV GI.2 virus on farms in France from 2013 to 2018
- Characterization of Staphylococcus aureus ST3320 clone causing fatal respiratory infection in rabbits
- Cardboard and rubber objects as means of environmental enrichment for rabbits
- Characteristics of meat, pet, and research rabbit farms in Brazil: An overview based on twelve farms
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- PublicationCharacteristics of meat, pet, and research rabbit farms in Brazil: An overview based on twelve farms(Universitat Politècnica de València, 2021-06-30) Silva, Kassy Gomes da; Borges, Tâmara Duarte; Costa, Leandro Batista; Sotomaior, Cristina Santos; Coordenaçao de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior, Brasil[EN] Rabbit production has great growth potential in a country where animal production is very important. However, there is little data about this industry in Southern and Southeast Brazil. The aim of this study was to describe Brazilian rabbit farms that provide meat, pets and animals for learning or research. Three pet farms, four meat farms and five research rabbit farms were visited, and the production and farm characteristics data were collected between June 2018 and March 2019. A total of 1170 rabbits and 617 cages were evaluated. Most farms had 21 to 60 (58.3%) does. Considering all farms, the farmers reported an average rate of conception of 71.8%, prolificacy rate of 6.7 kits per parturition, average interval between parturitions of 65 d and 6.3 parturitions/doe yr. The mean mortality rate for breeding rabbits was 10.4%, compared to 1.7% for growing rabbits (rabbits post-weaning until slaughter or sale). The average area of a cage was 0.43±0.1 m², with an average stocking density for growing rabbits of 3 rabbits/m². The most common cage system used by farmers was a flat-deck (66.7% of farms) system with a wire cage (91.7%). Metal (41.7%) and clay (33.3%) feeders were the most common types of feeders, and automatic nipple drinkers were present in 75% of the farms. Dirt accumulation was observed in 11.2% of the cages and 5.7% of the drinkers, but not in feeders. A total of 4.1% of the cages were considered unsafe, and 0.8% had problems with the drinkers. The farms studied ranged from small to medium in size, used an extensive reproductive rhythm and followed basic production techniques. Animal health and management aspects need to be reviewed by the farmer if the rabbit production conditions are to improve.
- PublicationCardboard and rubber objects as means of environmental enrichment for rabbits(Universitat Politècnica de València, 2021-06-30) Silva, Kassy Gomes da; Stange, Mariah Gomes; Pergorara, Martina; Sotomaior, Cristina Santos; Weber, Saulo Henrique; Borges, Tâmara Duarte; Costa, Leandro Batista; Coordenaçao de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior, Brasil[EN] Environmental enrichment improves rabbit welfare in rabbitries. Various toys for cats and dogs are commercially available, which are made of materials that could be safely used for rabbits as well. The objectives of this study were to evaluate whether cardboard and rubber materials could be used for environmental enrichment for rabbits. The study involved 42 adult New Zealand white rabbits (20 females and 22 males), randomly assigned to seven treatment groups: “C”, without object (control); “RB”, a solid rubber ball; “FT”, a fillable teether filled with hay; “CH”, a cardboard hole; “CS”, a piece of a cat scratcher; “CSC”, a piece of a cat scratcher with catnip; “CF”, an articulated cardboard fish. The behaviour of the rabbits and the percentage of destruction of the objects were recorded for 28 d. The normal behaviours of locomotion, rearing, stretching, stereotypies and sitting were not influenced by the treatments. Lying down was observed more frequently than the full stretched out position for resting. The FT-treatment group presented most behaviours of interaction (biting and sniffing) (P<0.05) as compared to RB, CSC, and CF-treatment groups. All the objects showed some level of destruction; the mean rates of destruction for CH, CS, CSC and CF were up to 40%, whereas those for FT and RB were under 30%. Taken together, the results suggest that cardboard and rubber materials can be used as means of environmental enrichment for rabbits.
- PublicationCharacterization of Staphylococcus aureus ST3320 clone causing fatal respiratory infection in rabbits(Universitat Politècnica de València, 2021-06-30) Wang, Jinxiang; Sun, S.; Chen, Y.; Chen, D.; Sang, L.; Xie, X.; Natural Science Foundation of Fujian Province; Fujian Public Welfare Project; National Rabbit Industry Technology System, China[EN] Staphylococcus aureus is a well-known pathogen that infects humans and animals. However, information on the fatal respiratory infection in rabbits caused by S. aureus is still limited. In the present study, a S. aureus isolate designated ND01 was recovered from lung samples of rabbits that died of fatal respiratory infection, and the ND01 was characterised by intranasal infection of rabbits, multi-locus sequencing typing, screening virulence genes and testing antimicrobial susceptibility. Clinical signs of matted forepaws and pathological lesions of haemorrhagic tracheitis and necrotising haemorrhagic pneumonia were observed in the ND01 infected rabbits, which were identical to those of naturally infected ones. The sequence type of the ND01 was defined as ST3320 and the ND01 was further grouped into the clonal complex 398. Notably, the ND01 was pvl-positive S. aureus and carried the human-associated scn gene. Moreover, the ND01 was methicillin-susceptible S. aureus and was susceptible to 6 of 10 tested antibiotics. This study described the characteristics of the ND01 causing fatal respiratory infection in rabbits. The results are helpful to further the understanding of the pathogenicity of S. aureus ST3320 clone in rabbits. The results also highlighted that operators must be on the alert for the colonisation of pvl-positive S. aureus in rabbits and potential transmission events between rabbits and humans.
- PublicationRetrospective studies on rabbit haemorrhagic disease outbreaks caused by RHDV GI.2 virus on farms in France from 2013 to 2018(Universitat Politècnica de València, 2021-06-30) Huneau-Salaün, Adeline; Boucher, Samuel; Fontaine, Julie; Le Normand, Bernadette; Lopez, Sébastien; Maurice, Thimothée; Nouvel, Laurence; Bruchec, Arthur; Coton, Jenna; Martin, Guillaume; Le Gall-Reculé, Ghislaine; Le Bouquin, Sophie; Ministère de l'Agriculture et de l'Alimentation, Francia[EN] Rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD) is a critical health threat to the rabbit industry in Europe. In 2018, the French rabbit industry adopted a voluntary control plan against this disease. In this context, two epidemiological studies were conducted on RHD outbreaks that occurred between 2013 and 2018 in France. The objectives were to describe the spread of RHD due to the new genotype RHDV GI.2 (rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus GI.2) and to identify rearing factors influencing the occurrence of the disease in order to guide the prevention measures recommended in the control plan. An analysis of cases on 295 farms between 2013 and 2017 showed that 32% of farms were affected at least once; the incidence of the disease increased in 2016-2017 compared to 2013-2015. Farms already affected in 2013-2015 had a higher risk of being infected in 2016-2017 than those that remained unaffected until 2015 (Relative Risk and 95% Confident Interval 1.7 [1.1-2.7]). A case-control study carried out between 2016 and 2018 on 37 outbreaks and 32 control farms revealed variability in biosecurity and decontamination practices between farms. The risk of being infected tends to be linked to these practices, but certain structural factors (e.g. the manure disposal system, transfer of rabbits at weaning) could also influence the risk of virus introduction into farms. In the context of a limited vaccination coverage of the farms (only females are vaccinated), these hypotheses will be studied further, using information from the RHD outbreak monitoring system implemented at the same time as the control plan in 2018.
- PublicationGlutathione supplementation in semen extender improves rabbit sperm attributes during refrigeration(Universitat Politècnica de València, 2021-06-30) Ahmad, Ejaz; Naseer, Zahid; Aksoy, Melih[EN] In the present study, we evaluated the sustaining effect of various glutathione (GSH) concentrations in extender on rabbit sperm attributes during storage at 5°C for 24 h. Semen was collected from regular donor rabbit bucks using an artificial vagina and initially evaluated for sperm quality. The qualifying ejaculates were diluted with one of the extenders having 0, 1, 2, 4 or 8 mM GSH, to achieve a final concentration of 1×108 sperm/mL. The extended samples were stored at 5°C for 24 h. Sperm motility, motion kinetics, acrosome integrity and viability were assessed after 3, 6, 12 and 24 h of storage. The results showed that total sperm motility and sperm motion kinetics (oscillation index of the sperm, straightness index and beat cross frequency) were influenced (P<0.05) by glutathione dose and refrigeration time. An interaction of (P<0.05) GSH concentrations and refrigeration time was observed for sperm viability and acrosome reaction rate. In conclusion, the 4 mM GSH supplemented extender’s protective influence was remarkable to maintainrabbit sperm quality for 24 h 5°C.