The present study was designed to study the enteric parasites infection in domestic rabbits in Upper Egypt and its impact on their health. A total of 298 faecal samples were collected from different farms in Upper Egypt. Each faecal sample was screened for parasitic isolation during May 2011- October 2012. Furthermore, The Eimeria species from samples containing isolated and sporulated oocysts were morphologically identified under microscope. Additionally, the Sheather's sugar flotation and Modified Zeihl Neelsen techniques were used to detect the Cryptosporidium species oocyst. According to results of the present study, the overall enteric parasite infections in rabbits was 68.12%, with 5.7% samples were found to be positive for helminths (P. ambiguus) and 49% were found to harbour various species of protozoa (Eimeria spp. and Cryptosporidium oocysts). Influences of age, sex and breed on the prevalence were recorded. Also, there was strong significant seasonal trends in the prevalence of the recovered parasites. Eight species of Eimeria were detected. Concurrent infection with two to eight Eimeria species occurred most frequently. Cryptosporidium oocyst was detected in 45 rabbits (15.1%). To the best of author's knowledge, this the first report of E. piriformis and Cryptosporidium species in rabbits in Egypt. Histopathological changes were indicative of inflammatory reactions brought about by parasitic infection with Eimeria species and its consequent irritating effects on intestine. The current study showed the characteristics of the prevalence of rabbit enteric parasite infection in Egypt and provided relevant 'baseline' data for assessing the effectiveness of future control strategies against these parasites in Egypt.
The aim of the present study was to estimate the epidemic situation of mites, in rabbit dermatologic disease in and around
Qena province, in the southern region of Egypt. Two hundred cases of dermatologic disease from the formentioned province
were investigated by conducting deep skin scraping between May 2011 and October 2012. The overall prevalence was
25%. Sarcoptic scabiei uniculi (22.5%) was the most frequent mite, followed by Notoedres cati cuniculi (2.5%). To the
best of our knowledge this is the first report of Notoedres cati cuniculi among studied rabbits in the study region. Study
on different breeds, English represents highest prevalence of mites 30%. Moreover, there was no significant difference
in the prevalence of mange mite infection between male and female rabbits (p > 0.05). Similarly, the prevalence was not
significant among the age groups and rabbit breeds (p > 0.05). In conclusion, the present prevalence of mange mites
was still high enough to cause significant economic losses in the study area. Therefore, strengthening the control effort
was suggested.