Mortalities Among Young Rabbits: Impact of Maternal Behavior and Bacterial Causes
Mortalities Among Young Rabbits: Impact of Maternal Behavior and Bacterial Causes
Dalia Mansour Hamed1, Mohsen Zaky El Dimerdash1, Ahmed Abdelatif Ali2, Samer Adel Abd El-Gaffar3, Mona Salim Abdallah1*
ABSTRACT
Mortalities of rabbits are common during the first two months of life and considered the main reason of losses. However, research on the causes and rates of mortality according to nursing programs is limited. This study aimed to highlight the bacterial and behavioral causes of mortalities among young rabbits and control such problems. A survey on 167 specimens collected from diseased and freshly dead young rabbits in some Egyptian provinces was conducted. In addition, an experiment was carried out on 15 pregnant does divided into 3 groups: (A) opened, (B) semi closed and (C) closed nursing systems. Mean body weight, and mortalities were recorded. Moreover, 18 weaned rabbits (40 day old) were challenged intraperitoneally with Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) (1.5×108 CFU) then were divided into 3 equal groups according to their treatment strategy: (1) control group, (2) treated with antibiotics and (3) treated with antibiotic/probiotic combination. Bacteriological examination of the 167 specimens detected S. aureus (46.7%), Escherichia coli (16.7%) and Enterobacter (3.5%). Furthermore, mortality rates were 15.3%, 6.4%, and 25%, in groups A, B and C, respectively. The semi-closed group (B) had significantly the highest body weight throughout the observation period. In the challenge group, the mortality rate was 100% (6/6) in group (1), followed by group (2) with 66.6% (4/6), and 33.3% (2/6) in group (3). S. aureus was the predominant and lethal bacteria in young rabbits. In addition, the semi closed nursing system improved the health of newborn rabbits. finally, probiotic/antibiotic combination is the best choice against S. aureus infection. The guide lines in rearing systems , mainly semi-closed nursing system , would decrease the susceptibility to bacterial infections
Keywords | Antibiotic; Mortalities; Nursing; Probiotic; Rabbit; S. aureus.
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