E Cuniculi – How Contagious?

[Babylemonade]

Greetings!

The search function is down and I was hoping to get some advice regarding how easily E Cuniculi may be spread in a home environment. This is my first post to the board.

I was planning on taking my bunny, Ringo, to his babysitter’s home next week for a five day stay. The sitter has two bunnies, and one was recently experiencing balance issues. He was taken to the vet, and I believe he has E Cuniculi. From what I understand, if a bun is showing symptoms, it has passed the contagious stage. But, I have also read that the spores can linger in the environment for up to a month.

Ringo would be kept in a separate room, with zero contact with the other bunnies. Should I still be concerned that my bunny could become infected? Could my sitter unknowingly bring infected spores from one room to another, simply by having her bunnies hair on her clothing?

I should add that my bunny was at the sitter’s house a month ago. It was only two weeks later that my sitter’s bunny started showing possible E Cuniculi symptoms. With that being said, is there a chance Ringo has already been exposed? Most of what I have read about the infection explains that the spores are spread through urine. He wasn’t in contact with the other bunnies urine or play area. Am I over reacting? I am unsure if I should take my vacation now.

I appreciate any thoughts you may have regarding this.

[Bam]

It is believed that as many as 80% of pet rabbits have been exposed to e cuniculi. This can be seen in anti-body blood tests, but they don’t tell if the bun is a carrier of the parasite or if there’s just been exposure. The majority of buns never develop symptomatic disease.

It’s true as you say that the spores are shed in the urine. When urine dries, there remains a residue that can have spores in it. The spores are highly resistant in the environment. The risk of contagion is of course much lower if buns are not kept in the same room. The sitter should (obviously!) wash their hands after tending to the poorly bun.

It’s not known why a rabbit develops symptomatic illness, but other illnesses can probably trigger it (because the immune defense is not always strong enough to keep the e cuniculi parasite in check at all he same time as it’s battling another illness). Environmental stress is also believed to be a factor. Being in a new environment is a source of stress, but since your bun has been in the sitter’s house before, it’s not completely new and unknown grounds.

I can’t of course say how high/low the risk is. I don’t think the risk is high seeing that the buns will be in separate quarters. Some vets recommend prophylactic treatment with Panacur (fenbendazole) for 5-9 days for buns that have been exposed to EC but are symptom free. Some vets (Molly Varga is one) do not recommend it unless a blood test has confirmed antibodies in the exposed bun. Panacur is prescription free. The company marketing Panacur recommends it for prophylactic use, but all companies of course want to sell their products.

[Babylemonade]

Thank you for sharing that info. I am still undecided as to what to do. I guess I am over reacting a bit, since there is a good chance my bunny may be a carrier too. I just couldn’t forgive myself if he developed symptoms after this stay with the sitter.

Thanks again, Bam.

[LBJ10]

I agree. It’s more likely than not that your bunny was already exposed. Most bunnies are exposed in the womb, as EC is often passed from mother to baby. Horizontal transmission is possible, but vertical transmission appears to be much more common. I believe it wasn’t until relatively recently that they discovered this.

Anyway, I think the risk is relatively low. Especially if your bunny will be housed in a separate room. Treating with Panacur certainly wouldn’t hurt anything, although it probably isn’t necessary.

[Author]

Messages