title: The oxidative status and inflammatory level of the peripheral blood of rabbits infested with Psoroptes cuniculi.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Psoroptes cuniculi can parasitise the ear canal of the rabbit, and cause the afflicted animals to cease feeding and become severely debilitated, sometimes resulting in death. In this study, we examined the oxidative status and inflammatory level of the peripheral blood of rabbits infested with Psoroptes cuniculi and investigated the pathogenesis of this disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 24 rabbits were divided into a healthy rabbit group and two infested rabbit groups. After weighing the rabbits, approximately 5 ml of blood was obtained from each animal. Then, the blood serum was extracted and used to assess the levels of antioxidant enzymes and inflammatory factors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared to the healthy rabbits, the activities of catalase and glutathione-S-transferase and the level of malonyldialdehyde were increased, but the activity of superoxide dismutase was reduced in the infested rabbits. At the same time, a variety of inflammatory cells were activated, and the levels of inflammatory factors such as prostaglandin E2, interleukin-6, interleukin-8 and transforming growth factor-β1 were increased in peripheral blood.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Animal acariasis was associated with immunosuppressive disorders and inflammatory reaction. These results advance our understanding of the pathogenesis of Psoroptes cuniculi infestation in rabbits and can help guide the effectual treatment of this disease in clinics.
authors.affiliation: Key Lab of New Animal Drug Project, Lanzhou 730050, Gansu Province, People's Republic of China. shangxf928@126.com.
authors.forename: Xiaofei
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Shang
authors.forename: Dongsheng
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xiaolou
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Miao
authors.forename: Xuezhi
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Jianxi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Zhiqiang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Hu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Pan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D007249:Inflammation / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism; D008924:Mite Infestations / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000502:physiology*; D040042:Psoroptidae; D011817:Rabbits