Providing Information About Rabbits
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Raising House Rabbits Providing Information About Rabbits
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RVHD Outbreak - Indiana, USA - June 15, 2005
CEI Impact Worksheet Indiana, June 15, 2005
Emergency Management Warning 2: Update
State Press Release Emergency Management Notice:
Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease in Vanderburgh County, Indiana
On June 7, 2005, Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease (RHD) was confirmed at a private residence in Vanderburgh county, Indiana by the Foreign Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (FADDL) on Plum Island, NY. Specimens from these rabbits were positive for RHD antigen on ELISA, electron microscopy, and PCR.
A FAD investigation was initiated on June 3, 2005 on a premises that
raises
rabbits primarily for sale to reptile owners as a food source for
snakes.The investigation revealed that many of the 200 rabbits on the premises
suddenly died during the past 10 days. Less than a dozen rabbits had
recently been purchased from Kentucky and introduced into the herd. An epidemiologic investigation has begun in Kentucky. The remaining rabbits
are
quarantined and will be euthanized and disposed of in accordance to
State
APHIS, Veterinary Services (VS), the Indiana Board of Animal Health, and
the Kentucky Department of Agriculture are working together to address
this
situation. VS will assist the affected State in the euthanasia,
cleaning,
and disinfection of the premises. VS will continue to investigate reports of suspect RHD as part of its foreign animal disease surveillance program and will continue to diagnose suspect cases at FADDL. The last known positive RHD case in the US occurred in a captive exotic animal facility in Flushing, New York in December 2001.
APHIS, Veterinary Services (VS), the Indiana Board of Animal Health are working together to address this situation. VS will assist the affected State in the euthanasia, cleaning and disinfecting of the premises.
VS will also investigate reports of suspect RHD as part of its foreign animal disease surveillance program and will continue to diagnose suspect cases at FADDL.
Please forward this information to other Federal, State, and industry
counterparts as necessary. Emergency Management Notice 2:
Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease in Vanderburgh county, Indiana
Background
Update
To date, there have been no additional reports of rabbit illness to either the Indiana or Kentucky animal health officials.
APHIS, Veterinary Services (VS), the Indiana Board of Animal Health, and the Kentucky Department of Agriculture are working together to address this situation. VS will continue to assist in any additional response activities.
For additional information:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Rabbit Disease Under Investigation in Southern Indiana
INDIANAPOLIS (9 June 2005)— A viral disease deadly to domestic rabbits has been identified on a Vanderburgh County, Indiana farm. While highly infectious to domestic breeds, rabbit hemorrhagic disease (RHD) is not known to harm humans, other animals or wild rabbit species, including American cottontail and jack rabbits.
Staff members from the Indiana State Board of Animal Health (BOAH) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Veterinary Services are investigating the source of the disease that killed nearly half of the 200 rabbits on the farm. RHD has not been diagnosed previously in Indiana.
Details are still being confirmed in the investigation. While animals from the infected farm are not believed to have been sold into pet shop or exhibition channels, rabbit owners are still advised to watch for signs of RHD in their animals, especially if they were acquired recently from sources such as swap meets and flea markets, particularly from Kentucky.
Often the first sign of RHD is an animal’s sudden death, according to BOAH veterinarian Dr. Sandra K.L. Norman, director for Companion Animals. The key sign to look for is the presence of clear or bloody foamy discharge from the animal’s body openings at the time of death.
“This disease can be difficult to distinguish during the hot summer months, when rabbits are particularly susceptible to heat-related deaths,” explained Dr. Norman. “In those cases, however, the rabbit does not typically show signs of bleeding.”
If an animal exhibits those signs,
the owner should take a few protective measures until a diagnosis can be
confirmed:
RHD, also commonly known as rabbit calicivirus and viral hemorrhagic disease (VHD), is spread by contact with an infected rabbit, rabbit products and contaminated objects, such as feces, bedding, cages or feed. The virus has a short incubation period of 24 hours to 48 hours. Typically, rabbits will suddenly die within six hours to 24 hours of the onset of fever with few clinical signs, such as foamy nasal discharge. Most infected animals appear depressed in their final hours and may show neurological signs.
Death loss is often very high—up to 90 percent or more of the animals that become ill. Some animals can recover, but may remain contagious for up to 4 weeks. No treatment or vaccine is available.
Rabbit hemorrhagic disease was first identified in China in 1984. The disease has spread to other parts of the globe, including Mexico in the late 1980s; however, the disease is not considered endemic to the United States, where the last known case was in Iowa in 2000.
Denise Derrer
Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease in Indiana, United States 2005
CEI Summary Report
An outbreak of rabbit hemorrhagic disease (RHD) occurred in a backyard rabbitry in Vanderburgh County, Indiana, on May 27, 2005. The outbreak was confined to the index premises where 104 rabbits were euthanized on June 8. Cleaning and disinfection followed the euthanization.
A Foreign Animal Disease (FAD) investigation conducted by USDA Animal Plant Health Inspection Service, Veterinary Services, the Indiana Board of Animal Health and the Kentucky Department of Agriculture was initiated on June 3, 2005. The investigators found that many of the 200 rabbits on the premises suddenly died during the previous 10 days. The investigation revealed that about a dozen rabbits from Kentucky had recently been introduced into the herd. All investigations related to this incident were considered closed as of June 23, 2005. The investigation did not reveal a possible origin of the infection.
The US rabbit industry is multi-faceted and comprised of meat and fur production, research rabbit production and hobbyists who raise rabbits for pets, shows and private consumption. The US does export rabbits and rabbit products, but its share of world exports is small. US imports of rabbits and rabbit products are also small when compared to other livestock industry imports.
Source: CEI impact worksheet, World Organization of Animal Health (OIE), ProMedMail
For additional information, please see the Center for Emerging Issues (CEI) Impact Worksheet on RHD in the US at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/ceah/cei/worksheets.htm. © 1996-2008 Raising House Rabbits
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