Rabbit Farms Research Articles

Lethal biological control of rabbits – the most powerful tools for landscape-scale mitigation of rabbit impacts in Australia

ABSTRACT The viral biocontrol agents Myxoma virus (MYXV) and Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease Virus (RHDV1), released in 1950 and 1996 respectively, are the only control tools to have resulted in significant and lasting landscape-scale suppression of rabbit populations in Australia. Multiple conservation benefits and significant economic savings have resulted from the long-term and widespread reductions in rabbit numbers and impacts. In an effort to ‘boost’ rabbit biocontrol, an additional variant of RHDV1 ('K5') was recently released nationwide to counteract the decreasing effectiveness of both RHDV1 and MYXV that results from the evolutionary ‘arms race’ between viruses and their hosts. Two years prior to the K5 release, an exotic RHDV strain (RHDV2) appeared in Australia. The commercially available vaccine used to protect pet and farmed rabbits against the officially released K5 was ineffective against the exotic RHDV2, resulting in numerous deaths of domestic rabbits. This created substantial confusion about which strain was released as a biocontrol tool, as well as renewed concerns amongst pet rabbit owners and rabbit farmers about the use of viruses as lethal rabbit control tools in general. Ongoing effective control of wild rabbits in Australia is absolutely essential to protect the substantial conservation gains made by the long-term suppression of rabbit numbers over the past decades, and there is currently no alternative population control tool to achieve this at the required landscape scale. Vaccine formulations need updating to protect non-target farmed and pet rabbits from circulating field variants, including RHDV2, and to increase public acceptance for the ongoing use of viral biocontrol for feral rabbit populations.

Myth, Reality and Revelation: The Performance of Divine Power on Dartmoor

Myth, Reality and Revelation:The Performance of Divine Power on Dartmoor David C. Harvey (bio) and Joanne Parker* (bio) This article explores the nexus between the folk heritage of an unusual archaeological site, an early modern account of 'ball lightning', and the literary construction of an affective atmosphere. It examines how a violent storm in October 1638 provided a symbolic reservoir for narrative accounts of both the performance of God's power and the Devil's trickery, thereby providing lessons for civil conduct alongside explanations of some unusual archaeological features. Tracing a biographical life history of how the storm has been remembered at different periods since the event, we chart how various narratives of landscape can unfold over several centuries. I. The Great Storm of 1638: Heritage Process and the Affective Register of Emotional Experience Upon Sunday the 21. of October last, In the parish Church of Wydecombe neere the Dartmoores in Devonshire, there fell in time of Divine Service a strange darknesse, increasing more and more, so that the people there assembled could not see to reade in any booke, and suddenly in a fearefull and lamentable manner, a mighty thundering was heard, the ratling whereof did answer much like unto the sound and report of many great Cannons, and terrible strange lightening therewith, greatly amazing those that heard and saw it, the darknesse increasing yet more, till they could not see one another; the extraordinarie lightening came into the Church so flaming, that the whole Church was presently filled with fire and smoke, the smell whereof was very loathsome, much like unto the sent of brimstone, some said they saw at first a great fiery ball come in at the window and passe thorough the Church, which so affrighted the whole Congregation that the most part of them fell downe into their seates, and some upon their knees, some on their faces, and some one upon another, with a great cry of burning and scalding, they [End Page 91] all giving up themselves for dead, supposing the last Judgement day was come, and that they had beene in the very flames of Hell.1 Sunday 21 October 1638 was a stormy day, with heavy rain and strong winds. Many people sheltered from the storm in the church in Widecombe-in-the-Moor. All of a sudden, the ceiling of the nave collapsed and crashed down, as a pinnacle from one of the towers toppled and smashed through the ancient roof of the church (figure 1). The falling debris killed four people (with two further deaths over the following days), including Sir Richard Reynold's warrener from the rabbit farm close to Warren House Inn. This is all recorded in the church records, and is one of the earliest archival records of what is thought to have been ball lightning.2 Environmental and meteorological historians in the twenty-first century might well mark this as an early description of ball lightning but the contemporary accounts seem to be more intent on the reactions of those present; that they were 'fearefull', amazed and filled with lament. From reading the contemporary accounts, one can understand the congregation's astonishment: [T]he lightening seized upon [Minister Lyde's] poore Wife, fired her ruffe and linnen next to her body, and her cloathes; to the burning of many parts of her body in a very pitifull manner. […] Beside, another woman adventuring to run out of the Church, had her cloathes set on fire, and was not only strangely burnt and scorched, but had her flesh torne about her back almost to the very bones. Another woeman had her flesh so torne and her body so grievously burnt, that she died the same night. […] [O]ne man more, […] who was Warriner unto Sir Richard Reynolds, his head was cloven, his skull rent into three peeces, and his braines throwne upon the ground whole, and the haire of his head, through the violence of the blow at first given him, did sticke fast unto the pillar or wall of the Church, and in the place a deepe bruise into the wall as if it were shot against with a Cannon bullet.3 [End Page 92...

Molecular features of hepatitis E virus from farmed rabbits in Shandong province, China

<p>This study was undertaken to investigate the genetic variability of hepatitis E virus (HEV) from farmed rabbits in Shandong province, China. A total of 50 fresh faecal samples from 5 rabbit farms were collected and subjected to reverse transcription and nested polymerase chain reaction (RT-nPCR) for a fragment sequence of HEV capsid gene. The results demonstrated that HEV RNA was observed in 6 faecal samples (6/50, 12.0%). In addition, the result of phylogenetic analysis showed that the 6 HEV isolates were classified into HEV-3 genotype with other rabbit HEV isolates from other countries, and shared 85.2-87.2%, 81.5-83.1%, and 77.0-78.6% nucleotide similarities with rabbit HEV isolates from Korea, the United States and France, respectively. To sum up, the HEV isolated in this study from farmed rabbits belongs to the HEV-3 genotype, and the zoonotic ability and pathogenesis of the rabbit HEV merit further study due to the fact that HEV-3 genotype has the potential to trigger zoonotic infections.</p>

A new parameter describing fertility in rabbits at the farm level: the kit index.

The kit index (KI) combines the kindling rate (KR) and the average litter size (LS) per group of does, per breeding round, per year, or per farm and represents the number of total or live-born kits per 100 inseminated does. The KR is the percentage of kindlings per number of inseminated does. Mathematically, the KI is the product of the KR multiplied by the average LS. The KI was calculated on the basis of 12 730 inseminated does and 89 864 live-born kits from one rabbit farm during a 25-month period from 2015 to 2017. The average KR was % with a minimum (per breeding round) of 35.4 % and a maximum of 90.8 %. The average LS of total kits born was , whilst the average litter size of live-born kits was . The KI of total kits born was calculated to be 121 kits per 100 inseminated does (min of 332, max of 971), while the KI of live-born kits ranged between 326 and 944 kits per 100 inseminated does (mean of ). The KI is a normally distributed parameter with respect to both the total kits born and the live-born kits per 100 inseminated does. All three parameters (KR, LS, and KI) were characterized by large variations from week to week with a tendency toward a reduction in the summer months. No difference was found between the two housing units, but large differences were found between the two genetic strains used on the given farm. Therefore, it can be concluded that the KI is able to characterize the complex fertility situation on the given rabbit farm. The KI can be used to demonstrate and to solve problems regarding artificial insemination, in addition to general issues with insemination management.

Gut colonization by a novel Clostridium species is associated with the onset of epizootic rabbit enteropathy

Epizootic rabbit enteropathy (ERE) represents one of the most devastating diseases affecting rabbit farms. Previous studies showing transmissibility of disease symptoms through oral inoculation of intestinal contents from sick animals suggested a bacterial infectious origin for ERE. However, no etiological agent has been identified yet. On the other hand, ERE is associated with major changes in intestinal microbial communities, pinpointing dysbiosis as an alternative cause for the disease. To better understand the role of intestinal bacteria in ERE development, we have performed a prospective longitudinal study in which intestinal samples collected from the same animals before, during and after disease onset were analyzed using high-throughput sequencing. Changes in hundreds of bacterial groups were detected after the initiation of ERE. In contrast, before ERE onset, the microbiota from rabbits that developed ERE did not differ from those that remained healthy. Notably, an expansion of a single novel Clostridium species (Clostridium cuniculi) was detected the day of ERE onset. C. cuniculi encodes several putative toxins and it is phylogenetically related to the two well-characterized pathogens C. botulinum and C. perfringens. Our results are consistent with a bacterial infectious origin of ERE and discard dysbiosis as the initial trigger of the disease. Although experimental validation is required, results derived from sequencing analysis, propose a key role of C. cuniculi in ERE initiation.

Prevalence of coccidian infection in rabbit farms in North Algeria.

Aim:The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence and intensity of rabbit coccidiosis (Oryctolagus cuniculus) in North Algeria.Materials and Methods:During the study, 40 rabbit farms were investigated. The farms are located in the provinces of Tizi Ouzou, Médéa, and Djelfa which distributed, respectively, into three regions: East Tell Atlas Mountains, Central Tell Atlas Mountains, and High Plateaus. The number of oocyst per gram of feces (OPG) was determined by McMaster technique, and the Eimeria species were identified using morphological criteria.Results:In the farms investigated, the prevalence of coccidian infection was estimated to 90% (80.7-99.3%) in rabbits after weaning. The classification of the farms according to their parasite load allowed us to show that 37.5% of the prospective farms have an oocyst excretion between 104 and 5×104 oocysts per gram and 22.5% excrete >5×104 oocysts per gram. Excretion levels by region show that the region of East Tel Atlas Mountains ranks first with 79% of farms with a parasitic load >104 coccidians compared to the regions of Central Tel Atlas Mountains and High Plateaus. In total, eight species of Eimeria were identified from oocyst-positive samples. Mixed infections with four Eimeria species were common. E. magna is the dominant species in comparison with E. media and E. irresidua with respective frequencies of 42.5% and 17.6% and 14.9% (p<0.001). Our results showed that the farms using anticoccidial drugs for their rabbits were low (25%) and the percentage of farms with poor hygienic conditions was 65%. There was a significant association between increased oocysts excretion and control measures of coccidian infection.Conclusion:The study revealed an overall prevalence of 90% in the three Algerian regions. A strong association was observed between Eimeria infection and hygienic status and preventional chemotherapy.

Disease management practices among rabbit farmers in Enugu State Nigeria

The study assessed disease management practices among rabbit farmers in Enugu State, Nigeria. Structured interview schedule was used for data collection from 67 respondents in the state, using snow ball sampling technique. Descriptive statistics was used in data analyses. Findings reveal that the majority of the rabbit farmers were single male, with mean age of 20 years and 1.2 years of experience in rabbit farming. The majority (73.1%) of the respondents had a stock size of 1-10 rabbits with mean flock size of 2 rabbits. New Zealand white was the most possessed and preferred breed. Greater proportion (55.2%) of the respondents obtained their breeding stock from other farmers, with health status being the most important factor considered when selecting breeding stock. The study established that 68.9% of the respondents used modern drugs in treatment of diseases and hence, recommended that extension agents should reach out to rabbit farmers with relevant information that could boost their production and in turn increase their living standard. Keywords: Disease management, Rabbit production, Enugu State

Abstracts of the 43rd Symposium on Cuniculture, ASESCU

The 43&lt;sup&gt;rd&lt;/sup&gt; Congress of the Spanish Association of Cuniculture (ASESCU) was held in Calamocha (Teruel province, Aragon region, Spain) from 30th to 31st May 2018, hosted by the Cooperative Society “Esperanza del Jiloca” (CEJI) and the City Council of Calamocha. The three main talks focused on strategies against antibiotic resistance in rabbit farming: one explaining the relevance of this problem and the responsibility of each agent to improve it, another expounding the “Spanish National Plan against Antibiotic Resistance”, and the third showing the first milestones reached in reducing antibiotic use on rabbit farms. Specific sessions were devoted to explaining the outcomes of the three research projects supported by the partnership between the Spanish Institute of Agricultural Research (INIA) and the Rabbit Meat Marketing Board (INTERCUN): one related to welfare and health of rabbit does under different housing systems, the second devoted to the prevention and control of rabbit viral diseases, and the third investigating the etiopathogeny and control of epizootic rabbit enteropathy. In addition, the role and operation of INTERCUN was highlighted. The Chair of ASESCU spoke about this association’s role in the IDCURA project, a working group focused on innovation and divulgation in reducing antibiotic use in rabbit farming. The closing speech explained the workings of LONCUN, the latest reference market for benchmark prices of rabbit meat activated in Spain. Moreover, a total of 20 communications were presented both in working sessions with oral messages and posters (nutrition, pathology, biosecurity and sustainability, housing and welfare, and reproduction and genetics). The meeting was attended by more than 210 participants from several European, American and African countries. Abstracts of the contributions presented are reported below.

Encephalitozoonosis infection in a traditional rabbit farm with neurological manifestations

Encephalitozoon cuniculi, a zoonotic and opportunistic pathogen, can cause latent infection, especially in lagomorphs. Nowadays, this member of the Eukaryotes has drawn significant attention in the fields of veterinary and public health. The purpose of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of infection in a New Zealand rabbit farm that has a clinical history of neurological manifestations including head tilt ataxia, aggressiveness, seizures, and circling and rotational movements around the body length axis, but the general conditions and food intake were normal. Blood samples were taken from 42 breeding rabbits and researched for E. cuniculi antibodies. Out of that, 25 (59%) animals resulted positive against the pathogen. The rabbit was found to be seropositive for E. cuniculi antibodies, but negative for Toxoplasma gondii and Listeria monocytogenes antibodies. Hematological and serum biochemical parameters were measured at reference intervals. No brain tissue impairment was observed the computed tomography (CT) scan. As a result of these histopathological findings, the brain cortex presented severe neuronal degeneration and partial myelin loss, with reactive diffuse gliosis against the parasite spores was observed to the histopathology. These results are possibly related to the early stage of infection because the parasitic infestation comprise long time spreading. E. cuniculi DNA was detected on brain tissues using polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and it partial DNA sequence was identified as E. cuniculi genotype I.

A single subcutaneous administration of a sustained-release ivermectin suspension eliminates Psoroptes cuniculi infection in a rabbit farm

Background: Psoroptes cuniculi mites are the most common ear parasites infesting breeding female rabbits. The suffering rabbits show cutaneous signs of the infestation in the ears and are prone to secondary infections.Objectives: This trial was conducted to eliminate P. cuniculi in farm rabbits with a sustained-release ivermectin-loaded solid dispersion suspension (IVM-SD) suspension, and studied the stability of the formulation.Animals: There were 986 breeding female Hyplus rabbits naturally infected with P. cuniculi.Methods: All rabbits infected with P. cuniculi were subcutaneously administered with a single dose of IVM-SD suspension at 2 mg/kg body weight. Twenty-seven rabbits with severe infections were observed daily and examined on days 0 and 14 to score the lesions and count mites in crusts.Results: Fourteen days after the treatment no live mites were detected, demonstrating 100% therapeutic efficacy. The mean lesion scores decreased from 4.33 to 0.11 in the left ears and from 4.22 to 0.22 in the right ears. No reinfection occurred within 60 days of treatment.Conclusions: A single subcutaneous administration of the IVM-SD suspension at 2 mg/kg was effective in eliminating P. cuniculi infection in the rabbit farm.

Farmers’ attitudes towards antimicrobial use and awareness of antimicrobial resistance: a comparative study among turkey and rabbit farmers

We conducted a survey of attitudes towards antimicrobial use and awareness of antimicrobial resistance among turkey and rabbit farmers (N = 117 and N = 41, respectively) in Italy’s utmost turkey- and rabbit-producing region. We found either similarities or significant differences between these two livestock sectors. Most farmers of both groups (72% of turkey farmers vs 76% of rabbit farmers) reported that antimicrobials are properly used in their farms. Almost three-quarters of the farmers reported that antimicrobials solve the health problem treated for. However, 47% of turkey farmers and 78% of rabbit farmers reported that antimicrobial use could be decreased, with a 20–30% reduction being the most frequently chosen range. Genetic improvement was reported to be the main factor able to reduce antimicrobial use in turkeys, whereas improvements in feed quality and microclimate were the main factors for rabbits. Most farmers reported that high antimicrobial use may affect the quality of meat products and be hazardous to human health, but they also reported that antimicrobial resistance is mainly related to antimicrobial use in humans. In conclusion, turkey and rabbit farmers have a generally positive opinion on veterinary antimicrobial use, but also low levels of awareness of the negative impact on public health. Economic and structural factors of rabbit production industry may explain the differences observed. Farm veterinarians will be crucial to support farmers’ education and the expected transition to lower antimicrobial use while maintaining high animal health/welfare standards.Highlights47% of turkey vs. 78% of rabbit farmers thought that antimicrobial use can be decreasedA 20–30% reduction of antimicrobials was the most frequently supposed rangeTurkey and rabbit farmers showed a low level of awareness of the negative impact of antimicrobial usage in their farms on human health

Pododermatitis in group housed rabbit does in Switzerland—Prevalence, severity and risk factors

In rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus L.), pododermatitis is a chronic multifactorial skin disease that appears mainly on the plantar surface of the hind legs. In later stages, it causes pain leading to poor welfare of affected animals. Pododermatitis is commonly observed in commercial rabbit production in breeding does housed with wire mesh flooring. However, the prevalence in breeding does that are housed in groups on litter and plastic slats is not known. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the frequency, the severity and possible risk factors of pododermatitis in group housed breeding does in Switzerland on litter and plastic slats.Between June and September 2016 about 30% of all adult female breeding rabbits (1090 animals in total) were evaluated for the presence and the severity of pododermatitis on 17 commercial rabbit farms with group housing. The latter was done with a tagged visual-analogue-scale. Additionally, various animal-related (e.g. hybrid, age or body weight) and environmental risk factors (e.g. temperature, relative humidity or wet area per pen) known from the literature were recorded. The risk factors were analysed with generalized linear models, additive Bayesian network (ABN) models resulting in directed acyclic graphs (DAGs) and random forests with variable importance plots.On average, 25% of the rabbits displayed ulcerative pododermatitis likely to be painful on at least one hind leg, while the prevalence varied between farms from 4 to 49%. The age, body weight and claw-length of the animals were positively associated with pododermatitis as the most important risk factors. The best model explained 37.4% of the observed variance in the primary outcome measure for pododermatitis.These findings demonstrate that pododermatitis is prevalent in female breeding does even in group housing systems with litter and plastic slats. However, the results of this cross-sectional study also indicate that important risk factors may have been missed or were not recorded precisely enough. Thus, more in-depth research is needed to assess risk factors of pododermatitis in view of effectively preventing the occurrence of this painful disease.

Detection of mucoid enteropathy syndrome disease in rabbit farms in East China

During the past years epizootic outbreaks of mucoid enteropathy syndrome (MES) disease have emerged and spread rapidly in rabbit farms in East China causing great economic losses. To investigate the nature and evolution of the disease, two trials were conducted in an attempt to reproduce the disease and to assess the microbiota cecal profile changes associated with the disease. In the first trial, twenty 6-week-old New Zealand White healthy rabbits were assigned randomly to one of two treatments: 1) Inoculation with 2.0 mL of cecal content (inoculum) from dead rabbits affected with MES; 2) No inoculation or control group. In the second trial, V3 - V4 regions of 16S ribosomal genes from three virulent (MES) and two non-virulent (healthy) cecal samples were amplified and sequenced for microbiota genomic characterization. The mucoid enteropathy syndrome was reproduced using a virulent cecal material (inoculum). The mortality rates for treatments 1 and 2 were 70% and 0%, respectively. Clinical signs and gross lesions of affected rabbits consisted of bloated abdomen, cecal impaction, presence of variable amounts of gelatinous mucus particularly in the colon, mucus excretion and diarrhea of low intensity. The disease that emerged in China is similar to the epizootic rabbit enteropathy (ERE) described in Europe. However, microbiota cecal changes associated with the disease differed from those in ERE. Here, a comprehensive analysis of mucoid enteropathy syndrome disease is presented, which should be carefully monitored.

Environmental impact of rabbit meat: The effect of production efficiency

The aim of this trial was to analyse the environmental impact of the rabbit production system, through a cradle to-slaughterhouse gate using a life cycle approach. Since in a rabbit farm the production efficiency depends on the feed conversion and quantity of meat produced, scenarios characterized by different slaughter weights and dissimilar level of mortality during the fattening phase were hypothesized.Climate change determined in the standard rabbit resulted in 3.86 kg CO2 eq/kg live weight, slightly higher than that of broilers and not different from that of pork. High and Low mortality scenarios resulted in impact changes from +5.22 and −2.31%, respectively, compared with the standard system. An increase of environmental impact values (up to 36%) was registered when live weight enhanced from 2.7 to 2.9 kg for standard and heavy rabbits. The results obtained underline the strict link between the ability to convert feed into meat and the environmental sustainability of meat production also in the rabbit system.

Mastitis on Rabbit Farms: Prevalence and Risk Factors.

Simple SummaryMastitis has been a subject of interest on rabbit farms. To better understand various aspects of this disease, we evaluated the work done during 2001–2017, on 531 farms in Spain and Portugal. We measured the cases of mastitis on the days of visit, with the examination of lactating females. We found an average of 4% of mastitic does; they were mostly chronic forms, since females with acute mastitis often die in a few hours. Several factors affect the occurrence of mastitis. For example, rabbit lines have different susceptibilities. The number of batches per maternity barn also influences the occurrence of disease; therefore, a single batch is better, or the duo system, which consists of moving females near parity to a clean and disinfected room. In the last 200 visited farms, we found that injectable antimicrobials were often used for the mastitis control, in addition to the hygiene practices (for example, culling diseased does and avoiding their kits being fostered).In this cross-sectional study, prevalence of clinical mastitis (PCM) and farm-specific risk factors were determined on 531 doe rabbit farms in Spain and Portugal, from January 2001 through March 2017. The information was obtained by carrying out 2367 visits and doing physical examinations of 144,455 lactating does, sorted in 2635 cohorts. Overall mean PCM was 4.05% (CI95% [3.87–4.22]), (minimum to maximum: 0–36.00% PCM). This study suggests that PCM was influenced by the variable number of batches (a batch was a group of does served the same day), per maternity barn (p < 0.0001). The duo system (does being moved to clean disinfected barns for parturition), was also an enabling risk factor for CM. The day of service or lactation stage also affected PCM. Lastly, there was an effect of the breeds or lines (p < 0.0001); mean PCM ranged between 1.29% and 7.09%. A subset of data obtained from 200 farms visited during January 2012–March 2017, was recorded to describe the use of antimicrobials against mastitis. Changes in host, husbandry, environment, and biosecurity practices, are highlighted to provide health and welfare benefits for breeding rabbits.

DESIGN OF INDUSTRIAL BIOMETHANE DIGESTER ATTACHED WITH UPGRADING AND STORAGE UNITS

The recent rise in energy demand to support industrialization and civilization is resulting in increased stress on conventional energy sources. Faced with the accompanying problem of climate change, research in renewable energies, especially their commercialization, has never been more important. Biogas production is a major renewable energy source. The rabbit wastes could not be completely used in biogas production as a result of certain restrictions are related with it, prevalent among these are the increase hydraulic retention time, low both gas production and calorific value this could be essentially attributed to the lower biodegradability of this wastes. So, efforts are required to take off its constraint in order to spread this technology and fully commercialized. This research focused on the design and construction of an integrated geometrical system to produce, purify, and store methane that can be implemented in commercial-size models in general and for rabbit farms especially. The results showed that the highest methane production recorded was 241.73 l/kgOTS for a three-time agitation rate of rabbit droppings. The methane concentration in the raw biogas was 57.5, 62.5 and 67.5%. The calorific values of purified biogas reached a high of 33.35 kJ/l. The methane content increased by 37.39% after undergoing the upgrading process at a constant gas pressure of 8.53 mbar and a methane proportion in the raw biogas of about 67.5%.

Population structure and phylogenetic analysis of laboratory rabbits in Taiwan based on microsatellite markers

Laboratory rabbits used in Taiwan are primarily supplied by the Livestock Research Institute (LRI) and the Animal Drugs Inspection Branch (ADIB) of the Animal Health Research Institute. An analysis of the genetic characteristics and structure of these populations would thus be a fundamental step in building a long-term management programme for maintaining stable animal quality and preserving the genetic variation among the populations. In this study, DNA samples were isolated from founders of 5 populations: New Zealand White rabbits (NZW) and Japanese White rabbits (JPN) from the ADIB, NZW and Rex rabbits (REX) from the LRI, and NZW from a private rabbit breeding farm in Ban Ciao (BC). A set of microsatellite markers, 18 in total, was designed for genetic analysis. The average values for the allele number (Na), effective number of alleles (Ne), observed heterozygosity (Ho), expected heterozygosity (H&lt;sub&gt;E&lt;/sub&gt;), and Wright’s fixation index (F&lt;sub&gt;IS&lt;/sub&gt;) were 5.50, 2.437, 0.442, 0.568 and 0.232, respectively. These results revealed that this set of microsatellite markers has high diversity and that the major local populations have a tendency toward inbreeding. At the same time, analysis of molecular variance results showed that the laboratory rabbits used in Taiwan have maintained a high level of within-population genetic differentiation (83%). The genetic differentiation among clusters was moderate (F&lt;sub&gt;ST&lt;/sub&gt;=0.18), and Bayesian cluster analysis showed that the most likely number of groups was 4 (K=4). Principal component analysis (PCA) also showed 4 divergent clusters. The LRI and BC NZW populations were not separated when K=4 was used in a Structure software analysis and were also hard to split until principal component 3 in PCA. The individual unrooted phylogenetic tree showed that the 5 populations were separated, except that some individuals from the LRI NZW population overlapped with the ADIB NZW and BC NZW populations. As such, in order to counteract the reduced F&lt;sub&gt;IS&lt;/sub&gt; (0.232) and maximise heterozygosity, the 3 NZW populations could be interbred or have new genes introduced into them. The set of microsatellite markers used herein was useful for studying the relationships and genetic diversities among these rabbit populations of Taiwan. Based on the resulting data, rabbit farms in Taiwan could select parental stocks for planned mating in the future as part of strategies to preserve and restore the rational breeding of laboratory rabbits.

Effects of doe-litter separation on intestinal bacteria, immune response and morphology of suckling rabbits

Gut development is stimulated by exposure to microorganisms, especially early-life microbial exposure. This study aimed to investigate whether doe-litter separation, which is performed in many rabbit farms, affects this exposure and therefore inhibits the development of intestinal system in suckling rabbits. Immediately after parturition, Rex rabbit does (n=16) were adjusted to 8 kits per litter and divided into doe-litter separation (DLS) group and doe-litter together (DLT) group based on the conditions of the does. One healthy kit per litter was selected and sacrificed at 7 d, 14 d, 21 d and 28 d of age, and the number of total bacteria, Escherichia coli and Bacteroides-Prevotella, expression of interleukin 6 (IL-6) and interleukin 10 (IL-10) in duodenum and caecum were investigated by real-time polymerase chain reaction. The morphological parameters of duodenum and vermiform appendix were also measured. Our results showed that doe-litter separation affected the number of intestinal bacteria. At 7 d of age, except for caecal Escherichia coli, the number of the investigated bacteria was decreased by doe-litter separation (P&amp;lt;0.05). But 1 wk later, only the number of total bacteria and Bacteroides-Prevotella in caecal content (P&amp;lt;0.05) and Escherichia coli in duodenal content from DLS kits (P&amp;lt;0.05) were still lower than those from DLT kits. After being provided with supplementary food for 7 d, DLS kits had fewer total bacteria in caecal content (P&amp;lt;0.05) and fewer E. coli in duodenal content (P&amp;lt;0.01) than DLT kits. After growing to 28 d of age, kits in DLS group still tended to have fewer total bacteria in caecal content, and expression of IL-10 and secretion of secretory IgA (sIgA) in vermiform appendix in DLS group was obviously lower than kits in DLT group (P&amp;lt;0.05). The villus height:crypt depth ratio in duodenum at 3&lt;sup&gt;rd&lt;/sup&gt; wk and 4&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; wk was decreased by DLS (P&amp;lt;0.05). Kits in DLS group had shorter villus height (P&amp;lt;0.05), higher crypt depth (P&amp;lt;0.05) and shorter vermiform appendix (P&amp;lt;0.05) at the end of the trial. Furthermore, separating kits from the doe had a negative effect on their average daily gain at 3&lt;sup&gt;rd&lt;/sup&gt; wk and 4&lt;sup&gt;th&lt;/sup&gt; wk (P&amp;lt;0.05). Limiting the microbiological contact with the mother during suckling period affected the kits’ intestinal flora and could negatively affect the development of intestinal digestive and immune system and growth performance of kits.

Pastereloz of crafts and its prophylaxis

Pasteurleozy is a factor disease. The manifestation of pathogenic action of pasteurals occurs under conditions of influence on a susceptible organism of a number of negative factors, which are conventionally divided into contributing and adversarial. In the etiology of pasteurial infection, they play a decisive role. The problem of the struggle against rabbit pasterelosis in our country is paid insufficient attention. The analysis of the documents of the state veterinary report gives grounds to assert that the tension of the epizootic situation with regard to rabies pasteurse in the country remains unexplored. So, in official data on outbreaks of rabies pasterelosis during the last 10 years there are separate reports, from which it is impossible to make a comprehensive assessment of the epizootic process of this infection in Ukraine. There is no data on the characteristics of circulating serotypes of Pasteurella multocida in rabbit farms. There are only brief information about the spread of the disease in the rabbits in certain regions, in particular, the Luhansk, Donetsk and Zaporizhzhya oblasts. These reports indicate a poor condition for the maintenance of rabbits and an insufficient level of antiepizootic measures, which, according to the authors, is the main reason for the spread of pasteurellosis. Given these data, it can be assumed that pasteurellosis is a rather common disease of rabbits, not only in the east of Ukraine, but also in the whole country. In the system of antiepirosis measures of rabies pasteurellosis, the leading role is given to active immunization of the susceptible animal population. The article presents the results of the analysis of the domestic and world market of veterinary immunobiological means for the specific prevention of this infection. It is shown that only one vaccine against pasterelosis of rabbits of foreign production and no domestic vaccine has been registered in Ukraine. A comparative analysis of the main components of foreign vaccines and vaccines developed by our scientists was carried out. The most common inactivator in pasteurial vaccines is formaldehyde, despite the fact that it destroys the capsule, which plays an important role in the formation of the immune response and immunity tension. All foreign vaccines as a preservative contain thiomersal – an organic derivative of mercury. As an adjuvant mineral oil and aluminum hydroxide are used, both substances are reactogenic for the rabbit organism. It has been shown that the immunogenic component of pasteurial vaccines includes several serotypes of P. multocida.

The utilization of coconut waste fermentated by aspergillus niger and saccharomyces cerevisiae on meat quality of weaning males rex rabbit

Coconut waste (CW) could be applied for animal feed while its nutrition quality were low. This study aims to investigate fermented CW effect on meat quality of Rex rabbit which feed by fermented CW either by Aspergillus niger or Tape Yeast. This research was conducted in rabbit farm Brastagi, using 24 male Rex rabbits with initial weight 1012 ± 126.67 gram in July-October 2016. The design used was complete randomized design : 6 treatment 4 replications. Treatment were T1 (unfermented 10%); T2 (unfermented 20%); T3 (a.niger fermentation 10%); T4 (a niger fermentation 20%); T5 (tape yeast fermentation 10%) and T6 (tape yeast fermentation 20%). The parameters were pH, meat texture either raw or cooked, water content, fat content, protein content of meat and cooking loss. The results showed that effect of treatment was not significantly different (P>0.05) on pH and raw meat texture, but significantly different (P< 0.05) on texture of meat cooked and meat fat content and very significantly different effect ( P> 0,01) on cooking loss, water content and protein content of meat. The conclusion of this research was the utilization of fermented CW by Aspergillius niger and Tape Yeast improved the quality of Rex rabbit meat