Can EC be passed from rabbit to rabbit indirectly?

[henry2809]

How likely is it for EC to be passed from rabbit to rabbit indirectly such as on shoes, clothing, and hands? There is a rabbit at the rescue that I volunteer for who recently tested positive for EC and is undergoing treatment. Is it safe for me to touch the rabbit, clean his cage, etc. and then come home to my rabbit as long as I change my clothes and wash my hands before I touch my rabbit? As far as I know, this is probably unlikely because EC is mainly passed in the urine, so it usually requires direct contact from an infected rabbit, is that correct? Should I be concerned?

[LBJ10]

The likely scenario: You bunny was already exposed to EC when he/she was a baby. It’s estimated that 80% of rabbits are exposed at some point, most when they are young.

For the sake of argument though, is the bunny at the rescue actually contagious? Rabbits typically only shed spores the first few weeks or months after they are initially infected. And yes, they are shed through urine. Once this initial infection phase has passed, they don’t really pose much of a risk to other rabbits. However, once EC is in their body, it can lie dormant for a long time… years even. Then it causes illness, which can be triggered by stress or a weakened immune response. They are not considered contagious though.

[henry2809]

Thank you for your reply! So you think that as long as I wash my hands and change my clothes before I play with my bunny, there is essentially no risk to my rabbit because it’s only shed in the urine (which I’m not coming into contact with other than dumping the litter box) AND he is probably not even shedding it right now? So it’s probably really unlikely that this poses any realistic risk? And it sounds like it would probably take DIRECT contact with an infected rabbit’s urine for a rabbit to become infected? Not like- I touch the rabbit and then touch my rabbit and it causes infection?

[LBJ10]

I can’t say 100% sure. But yes, if this bunny at the rescue is not actively shedding spores and what they are suffering from currently is an EC flare from a previous infection, then they are probably not contagious. It is never a bad idea to take precautions though since there are other things to worry about as well (RHDV, etc.). So yes, wash your hands and change your clothes/shoes before interacting with your bunny. Your bunny would have to have direct contact with urine infected with spores to be at high risk though (assuming they weren’t previously exposed).

[henry2809]

That makes sense, thank you so much for the reassurance! I’ve been coming home and washing my hands, immediately throwing my clothes in the wash and taking a shower before I see him!

[henry2809]

One more question for you- so a rabbit that is showing symptoms (such as a head tilt), is not necessarily shedding the parasite? So does that mean that a rabbit with active symptoms is not necessarily contagious to other animals?

[LBJ10]

Typically, no, they are not shedding spores at this stage.

[henry2809]

Even if the rabbit WAS actively shedding, do you think that it would take more than indirect contact (rabbit to clothing/hands and then to another rabbit) to cause infection? I know that you can use certain disinfectants to kill the EC spores, but how would you ensure that there were not spores on your hands before touching another rabbit?

[LBJ10]

The spores are pretty hardy and can persist in the environment. However, it would be very difficult for a rabbit to become infected indirectly. The main mode of transmission is mother to babies while they are still in the womb. Transmission can occur through direct contact as well. But they have to either eat food contaminated with urine/spores or breathe in spores from urine that is evaporating, although the latter is somewhat debated. The risk of indirect transmission is very low. It’s never a bad idea to wash hands between handling rabbits though. Thoroughly washing your hands with soap and water should be sufficient.

[Author]

Messages