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A “highly contagious” rabbit disease was first detected in Minnesota, the State Board of Animal Health said Tuesday.
Two indoor rabbits in Ramsey County “died suddenly and inexplicably” earlier this month from rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus 2 (RHDV2), according to a press release.
The owner of the rabbits, a veterinarian, submitted his second rabbit to the University of Minnesota’s veterinary diagnostic laboratory to investigate the cause of death after he died shortly after the first rabbit, the statement said.
It was confirmed last week that the rabbit had RHDV2.
RHDV2 is “very contagious” and can affect domestic and wild rabbits. The Ramsey County rabbits were house animals and had no contact with any other rabbits, the statement said.
The disease presents no known risk to humans or other wildlife species.
“The Animal Health Council is investigating the cause of this RHDV2 case,” senior veterinarian Dr Greg Suskovic, who oversees the council’s exotic animal disease investigations, said in the statement. “Rabbit owners should contact their veterinarian if their animal dies unexpectedly or exhibits any of the signs compatible with RHDV2. Veterinarians should report suspected cases to the Board. [of Animal Health]. “
The board also said that if you see “unusually high mortality” in wild rabbits, you should report it to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
Symptoms of RHDV2 may include rabbits acting sluggishly and showing reluctance to move; sudden death in an otherwise healthy rabbit; and bloody discharge from the nostrils and / or mouth after death. They may also show no outward signs, the statement said.
Rabbits that contract the disease typically die between a day and a week after becoming infected, and the disease kills 70 to 90 percent of infected rabbits, the statement said.
RHDV2 can be spread through direct contact with infected rabbits or indirectly through contact with an infected carcass, blood, urine and feces, as well as infected surfaces, such as cages, food, water and litter. People can also spread it indirectly by wearing it on their clothes and shoes, and insects and other animals can spread it if they come in contact with an infected rabbit or carcass, the Board of Animal Health has said.
“RHDV2 is very persistent and stable in the environment. It is resistant to extreme temperatures and can survive freezing temperatures. The virus has been found to survive for up to 15 weeks in dry conditions, ”the statement said.
There is currently no vaccine approved for use against RHDV2 in Minnesota. There are vaccines in Europe, which use an inactivated virus derived from the liver of infected rabbits in the lab, but they are not approved for import into Minnesota, the statement said.
However, there may soon be an approved vaccine.
A private company in South Dakota is working on a recombinant-technology vaccine for the disease, which is similar to Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines. The Animal Health Council plans to discuss the approval of this vaccine at its December meeting, the statement said.
Until a vaccine is approved, the USDA recommends practicing “good biosecurity” to ensure the safety of your rabbits, including disinfecting equipment and cages with a high pH solution, not allowing your rabbit from coming into contact with wild rabbits and always washing your hands.
According to the USDA in June 2020, RHDV2 is classified as a “foreign animal disease”. It was first detected in the United States in 2018 and since February 2020 it has spread to “several southwestern states” including Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada and Texas .
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