title: Primary and secondary experimental infestation of rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) with Sarcoptes scabiei from a wild rabbit: factors determining resistance to reinfestation.
abstract: Studies of sarcoptic mange and immunity are hampered by lack of mite sources and natural infestation models. We have investigated the clinical and pathological signs, specific IgG response and acquired immunity in naïve New Zealand White rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) experimentally infested with Sarcoptes scabiei originally isolated from a clinically affected free-living European wild rabbit. Twenty rabbits were infested using two methods, direct contact for a 24 h period with a seeder rabbit simulating the natural process of infestation and application of a dressing holding approximately 1800 live mites on each hind limb (foot area) for a 24h period. Eight weeks post infestation, rabbits were treated with ivermectin and infestation cleared. Eight weeks later seventeen previously infested and four uninfested naïve controls were then re-exposed to the same S. scabiei variety using the same methods and followed for another 8 weeks. The progress of the disease was markedly more virulent in the animals infested by contact, indicating that the effective dose of mites managing to thrive and infest each rabbit by this method was higher. Nevertheless, infestation by contact resulted in partial protection to reexposure, rabbits developed high non-protective antibody titres upon reinfestation and presented severe clinical signs. However, rabbits reinfested by dressing developed lower IgG titres, and presented high levels of resistance to reinfestation, which might be due to induction of a strong local cellular response in the inoculation point that killed the mites and resulted in a lower mite effective dose, with subsequent reduced lesion development. Statistical analysis showed that sex, method of infestation and previous exposure are key factors determining the ability of rabbits to develop immunity to this disease. The rabbit-mange model developed will allow the further study of immunity and resistance to this neglected pathogen using a natural host system.
authors.affiliation: Servicio Regional de Investigación y Desarrollo Agroalimentario (SERIDA), Centro de Biotecnología Animal, La Olla-Deva, 33394 Gijón, Asturias, Spain. Electronic address: rosacg@serida.org.
authors.forename: Rosa
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Casais
authors.affiliation: Instituto Universitario de Biotecnología de Asturias, Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Edificio Santiago Gascón, Campus El Cristo, Universidad de Oviedo, 33006 Oviedo, Spain.
authors.forename: Kevin P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Dalton
authors.affiliation: Servei d'Ecopatologia de Fauna Salvatge (SEFaS) (Wildlife Diseases Research Group), Departament de Medicina i Cirurgia Animals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain; Facultad de Ecología y Recursos Naturales, Universidad Andrés Bello, República 252, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Millán
authors.affiliation: Servicio Regional de Investigación y Desarrollo Agroalimentario (SERIDA), Centro de Biotecnología Animal, La Olla-Deva, 33394 Gijón, Asturias, Spain.
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Balseiro
authors.affiliation: IREC (CSIC-UCLM-JCCM), Ronda de Toledo s/n, 13071 Ciudad Real, Spain.
authors.forename: Alvaro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Oleaga
authors.affiliation: Servicio Regional de Investigación y Desarrollo Agroalimentario (SERIDA), Centro de Biotecnología Animal, La Olla-Deva, 33394 Gijón, Asturias, Spain.
authors.forename: Paloma
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Solano
authors.affiliation: Servicio Regional de Investigación y Desarrollo Agroalimentario (SERIDA), Centro de Biotecnología Animal, La Olla-Deva, 33394 Gijón, Asturias, Spain.
authors.forename: Félix
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Goyache
authors.affiliation: Servicio Regional de Investigación y Desarrollo Agroalimentario (SERIDA), Centro de Biotecnología Animal, La Olla-Deva, 33394 Gijón, Asturias, Spain.
authors.forename: José Miguel
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Prieto
authors.affiliation: Instituto Universitario de Biotecnología de Asturias, Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Edificio Santiago Gascón, Campus El Cristo, Universidad de Oviedo, 33006 Oviedo, Spain.
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Parra
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D060467:Disease Resistance / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D011817:Rabbits; D012520:Sarcoptes scabiei / Q000276:immunology*; D012532:Scabies / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D012737:Sex Factors
chemical_list: D007074:Immunoglobulin G
keywords: Experimental infestation; Immune response; Protection; Rabbit; Route of infestation; Sarcoptes scabiei