[The first appearance of infectious hemorrhagic disease of rabbits in Austria].
In three Austrian rabbit units (two in the west, one in the east) heavy losses occurred in April/May 1989. The clinical course (deaths in adult animals, haemorrhagic diathesis) of the disease was indicative for an infection with the RHD-virus. Necropsy confirmed the suggestive clinical diagnosis as bleeding of the nostrils, hyperaemia in the respiratory tract, spleen tumor, partly decolorized livers, hyperaemia of kidneys with rare petechias could be observed. Histologic examination revealed centrolobular liver necrosis, lung bleeding and edema, tumor of spleen and atrophy of spleen follicles. Rabbits infected with organ suspensions died within 48 hours. The organ suspensions and the suspensions of the already necropsied animals showed a haemagglutination titer for above 1:100. This reaction could be inhibited with a specific RHD-antiserum. The intramuscular application of a RHD-reference strain in one hare, two wild rabbits and a rabbit did not induce clinical disease or death of the leporids during a six week observation period. The rabbit died within 48 hours post infection. However the hare and wild rabbits showed high antibody titers by ELISA at the end of the observation period. Before infection the two wild rabbits were serologically negative.
Bundesanstalt für Virusseuchenbekämpfung bei Haustieren, Veterinärmedizinischen Universität Wien.
S
S
Kölbl
J
J
Settele
M
M
Schönbauer
D000818:Animals; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000662:veterinary*; D006482:Hemorrhagic Fevers, Viral / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D011817:Rabbits
Erstes Auftreten der infektiösen hämorrhagischen Krankheit der Kaninchen in Osterreich.