Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci (2014) 3(3): 651-656
ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 3 Number 3 (2014) pp. 651-656
http://www.ijcmas.com
Original Research Article
Infestation of ear mites Psoroptes cuniculi on farm rabbits and its
anthropozoonosis in Gudli village of Udaipur District, India
G.Swarnakar*, D.Sharma, B.Sanger and K. Roat
Regional Disease Diagnostic centre, Veterinary Hospital, Udaipur-313001, India
Parasitology Lab., Department of Zoology Government Meera Girls College,
Udaipur-313001, India
*Corresponding author
ABSTRACT
Keywords
Ear mite
infestation;
Psoroptes
cuniculi;
blood oozes;
hearing loss.
Ear mite infestation in farm rabbits is caused by the parasite Psoroptes cuniculi.
They are mainly affected ear pinnae of farm rabbit, which turn into larger, thicker
crusted lesions with surrounding hair loss. If sick animals are not treated timely
these ectoparasites may spread and affect the head, neck, legs, abdomen and
perianal region, the blood oozes out from the scratched regions and subsequent
hearing loss and secondary bacterial infection make situation more complicated.
Diagnosis is being carried out by clinical signs, dermatological and microscopic
examination of skin scrapings from affected region. One such incidence has been
recorded in a farm having 189 rabbits at Gudli village of Udaipur district of
Rajasthan.
Introduction
Anthropozoonosis
is
disease
that
transmitted from rabbits to humans. Ear
mites Psoroptes cuniculi infestation in
farm rabbit are very common and
widespread ectoparasitic problem in both
pet and commercial rabbit population.
This ectoparasitic infection is due to stress
condition, dirty living conditions, lack of
proper nutrition, over-crowding, severe of
heat and cold environmental conditions.
P. cuniculi tend to disperse more rapidly
through a farm rabbits. Ear mites
Psoroptes cuniculi are mainly found inside
the pinnae, where crust and scabs are
created. Itchy ears, erythema, and crusting
lesion of the external ear canal, and pain
on palpation are the main clinical findings.
Psoroptes cuniculi causes otoacariasis
with severe erythematous, crustaceous,
and exudative pruritic skin inflammation.
Psoroptes cuniculi are become serious, if
left untreated; they can lead to infection,
deafness, emaciation and finally death
resulting in considerable economic losses.
Further its zoonotic importance cannot be
rule out and it can easily infest human
651
Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci (2014) 3(3): 651-656
beings (Harkness, et al., 1977; Burke, et
al., 1992; Harrenstien et al., 1995; Cutler,
1998; Praag, 2002 and Acar et al., 2007).
minimum favorable feed taking rates. An
ear inspection observed marked, dense,
adherent crusts and erythema covering the
external ear canal and internal surfaces of
both pinnae (Fig. 1). However, in many
cases Psoroptes affected mainly in area of
ear, head, neck, abdomen, legs and
perianal region of farm rabbits reported
severe itching, infections, lesions and
swelling (fig. 2, 3 and 4). In older or sick
animals, or if not treated properly, the
parasite can spread to other regions on the
body.
Otoacariasis is an important disease of
domestic rabbits throughout the world. P.
cuniculi infestation in rabbits have been
reported in the USA (Yeatts, 1994), Italy
(Fichi et al., 2007), Turkey (Kurtdede et
al., 2007), Korea ((Kyung-Yeon and OhDeog, 2010) and Romania (Narcisa
Mederle, 2010). In India very few research
work on P. cuniculi in Hyderabad
(Ayodhya, 2013). Scanty reports on mite
infestation have been reported on ear mites
Psoroptes cuniculi infestation in Southern
Rajasthan of India and primary report of
its anthropozoonosis. Therefore, proposed
study has been described Infestation of
ear mites Psoroptes cuniculi on farm
rabbits and its anthropozoonosis in Gudli
village of Udaipur District .
Diagnosis was performed by clinical signs
and microscopic examination of the skin
lesions. Psoroptes cuniculi infestation of
the ears and body of rabbits, with severe
lesions on the skin of the caudoventral
abdomen were observed. Infestation with
the mite P. cuniculi from affected rabbits
was diagnosed by skin scrapings and
microscopy. Many mites were detected on
microscopic examination of material
scraped from the external ear canal mixed
with mineral oil (Fig.5). Psoroptes
cuniculi was the only species detected
from the lesions. Eggs and hatching of egg
of Psoroptes cuniculi were also revealed
in many infected skin sample of rabbits
(Fig. 6). If sick animal not treated timely
these ectoparasites may spread vigorously.
Anthropozoonosis was observed in Gudli
village of Udaipur District. The infections
of Psoroptes cuniculi were chronically
spread to the animal attendant, his family
and to supervisor of the farm rabbits and
showed white spots on his legs (fig. 7).
Materials and Methods
189 skin scraped samples were collected
from ear and head region of affected
rabbits due to ear mite Psoroptes cuniculi
from Gudli village of Udaipur district.
Psoroptes cuniculi infected skins of
rabbits were scraped with the help of a
scalpel blade. The blade was used
smoothly to scrape on the infected skin.
The skin scraped sample were put on
microscopic slide, mixed with potassium
hydroxide (10%) then give heat for mix
the sample with potassium hydroxide and
observed under stereomicroscope.
The ear mites Psoroptes cuniculi are
universal ectoparasites and frequently
found on rabbits, goats, horses, mice, rat
and sheep. In rabbits, lesions are limited to
the ears (Saunders, 1979). The P. cuniculi
ectoparasites were presented with all ear
crust, ears with intensely itchy, secondary
Results and Discussion
The rabbit ear mite, Psoroptes cuniculi,
produces abundant red-brown crusts in the
ear canal. Domestic rabbits presented with
frequently shaking of the head, intense
pruritus, scratch at his ears or one or both
ears may drop and weight loss and
652
Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci (2014) 3(3): 651-656
Fig.1 Ear crust showing in the farm rabbit.
Fig.2 Infection showing spread in upper eye and ear pinnae.
Fig.3 P. cuniculi infection spread in leg of farm rabbit.
653
Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci (2014) 3(3): 651-656
Fig..4 Head region vigorously affected by Psoroptes cuniculi
.
Fig.5 Microscopic examination of skin sample from ears of farm rabbits observes the
ear mite Psoroptes cuniculi
Fig.6 Psoroptes cuniculi coming outside the egg.
654
Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci (2014) 3(3): 651-656
Fig.7 Showing chronic symptom in rabbit attendant of farm rabbits
sore and scabs formation excess secretion
of red and browny waxy formation inside
one or both ears, resulting of shaking of
head of farm rabbits that are in agreement
with Henry and Griffith (1971), Burke
(1992) and Cutler (1998). P. cuniculi has
different life stages: egg, larva,
protonymph, adult mite. The cycle lasts
about
21
days,
depending
on
environmental condition, with eggs
hatching after 4 days (Praag, 2002).
Present study revealed that the mites
puncture the epidermis of ear, suck lymph
and give rise to local inflammatory
swelling from which serum exude,
coagulates
and
forms
enormous
encrustation inside the ear. (Yeatts, 1994;
Harrenstien et al., 1995; Baker, 1998 and
Perrucci et al., 2005). The mite causes
intense pruritus with formation of crusts
and scabs, which can completely fill the
external ear canal and internal surface of
the pinnae in untreated animals (Bates,
1999; Perrucci et al., 2005). The clinical
findings in the present cases are similar to
reported
by
others
(Beck
&
Kleintierpraxis, 2000 and Ayodhya, 2013).
In wild rabbits parasite diseases often
affect single animals, whereas the
intensive production of domestic rabbits
typically has to deal with parasites as herd
problems which in some cases may
invalidate the economy of commercial
rabbits (madsen, 1986). This study
comprises that in farm rabbit population
this type of infection more severe than
single pet rabbit, this infection spread one
by one all farm population.
This study is a report of P. cuniculi in
farm rabbits in Gudli village in Udaipur
district of Rajasthan, India and its zoonotic
importance. Moreover, it is necessary that
the epidemiological observation on large
scale for detection of ear mite in farm
rabbits.
Acknowledgement
Authors are grateful to the Head Dr. B.
Bharadwaj, Regional Disease Diagnostic
centre, Veterinary Hospital Udaipur,
Rajasthan for providing the facilities for
the sample collection.
References
Acar, A., Kurtdede, A., Ural, K., Cingi, C.C.,
Karakurum, M.C., Yaci, B.B. and Sari B.
2007. An Ectopic Case of Psoroptes
cuniculi Infestation in a Pet Rabbit, Turk.
J. Vet. Anim. Sci. 31(6): 423-425 .
655
Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci (2014) 3(3): 651-656
Ayodhya, S. 2013. Ear canker and its Clinical
Management
in
Rabbits,
Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci. 2(11): 6671.
Baker, D.G., 1998. Natural pathogens of
laboratory mice, rats, and rabbits and their
effects on research. Clin Microbiol Rev,
11: 231-266.
Bates, P.G. 1999. Inter and intra specific
variation within the genus Psoroptes
(Acari: Psoroptidae), Vet. Parasitol.
83:201-217.
Beck, W. and Kleintierpraxis. 2000. Ear
mange in domestic rabbit caused by
Psoroptes cuniculi (Acari: psoroptidae)
biology of the mite, pathogenesis, clinical
features, diagnosis and treatment 45:
4301-308.
Burke, T.J. Skin disorders of rodents, rabbits
and ferrets. In: Kirk, R.W., Bonagura, J.D.
1992, Eds. Current Veterinary Therapy XI
Small Animal Practice. W.B. Saunders
Co., Philadelphia, London, Toronto. 11701175.
Cutler S.L. 1998. Ectopic Psoroptes cuniculi
infestation in a pet rabbit, J small Anim
Pract. 39(2):86-7.
Dirk M. Elston, M.D. 2006. what s Eating
You? Psoroptes Mites, Close Encounters
With The Environment. 77: 283-284.
Ester van praag. 2002. Common mites
(Arachnids) of rabbits and their treatment,
parasites of rabbit. 1-8.
Fichi G, G Flamini, LJ Zaralli and S Perrucci,
2007. Efficacy of an essential oil of
Cinnamomum
zeylanicum
against
Psoroptes cuniculi. Phytomedicine, 14:
227-231.
Harkness, J.E. and Wagner, J.E. 1977.
Specific diseases. In: The Biology and
Medicine of Rabbits and Rodents. Lea &
Febiger. Philadelphia. 73-75.
Harrenstien, L., Gentz, E.J. and Carpenter,
J.W. 1955. How to handle respiratory,
ophthalmic, neurologic, and dermatologic
problems in rabbits. Symposium on Rabbit
Medicine. Veterinary Medicine. 373-380.
Henry, J. and Griffiths. 1971. Some common
parasites of small laboratory animals. 5:
123-135.
Kurade N.P., Bhat T.K., and Jitendran, K.P.
1966. Effect of ivermectin ear mange mite
(Psoroptes cuniculi) in naturally infested
rabbits, World Rabbit Sciences. 4(1): 2527.
Kurtdede, A., Karaer, Z., Acar, A., Guzel, M.,
Cingi, C.C., Ural K. and Ica, A. 2007. Use
of selamectin for the treatment of
psoroptic and sarcoptic mite infestation in
rabbits. Vet Dermatol. 18: 18-22.
Kyung-Yeon, E. and Oh-Deog, K. 2010.
Psoroptic Otocariasis Associated with
Psoroptes Cuniculi in Domestic Rabbits in
Korea, Pak Vet J. 30(4): 251-252.
Narcisa
Mederle.
2010.
Parasitical
indentification of Cheyletiella in a rabbit
breeding.
Lucrari stiiniifice medicina
veterinara. XLIII (1): 57-59.
Madsen, M. 1986. A review of various
parasites of rabbits, Nord Vet Med.
38(6):333-51.
Perrucci, S., Rossi, G., Fichi, G. and O Brien,
D.J.
2005.
Relationship
between
Psoroptes cuniculi and the internal
bacterium Serratia marcescens. Exp.
Appl. Acarol. 36:199-206.
Rafferty, D.E. and Gray, J.S. 1987.The
feeding behaviour of Psoroptes spp. mites
on rabbits and sheep, J Parasitol.
73(5):901-6.
Sanders, A., Froggatt, P., Wall, R. and Smith,
K.E. 2000. Life-cycle stage morphology
of Psoroptes mange mites, Med Vet
Entomol. 14(2):131-41.
Saunders EB, 1979. Ear-mite infestation. Vet
Med Small Anim Clin, 74: 218-219.
Ulutas, B., Voyvoda H., Bayramli G. and
Karagenc, T. 2005. Efficacy of topical
administration of eprinomectin for
treatment of ear mite infestation in six
rabbits, Vet Dermatol. 16(5):334-7.
Von Regine Ribbeck, B. 1976. The ear mange
mite (Psoroptes cuniculi) of the domestic
rabbit
(Oryctolagus
cuniculus
f.
domestica), Angew Parasitol. 17(4):suppl
1-29.
Yeatts, J.W.G. 1994. Rabbit mite infestation.
Vet Rec. 134: 359-360.
656