Psoroptes cuniculi Infestation: Psoroptic Mange; Ear Canker
The mites are obligate, nonburrowing parasites that chew and pierce the epidermal layers of the external ear, evoking a marked inflammatory response. The mite normally spends its entire life span in the external ear of the rabbit.
The life cycle (egg to egg) is usually completed in around 3 weeks. Up to 10,000 mites may be present in a severely infested ear. In heavily parasitized ears, foulsmelling branlike crusts fill the external ear canal and extend up the ear (Fig. 6.74). The ear is often thickened and edematous. The mites can be easily demonstrated in wet mount preparations from the ear. Rarely, cutaneous lesions have been observed in the perineal region. Notably, P. cuniculi is not a parasite of wild rabbits, but rather was acquired during domestication of the rabbit. Its origin is generally believed to be the sheep mite, P. ovis, but recent molecular analyses suggest that P. cuniculi, P. ovis, and a number of other Psoroptes spp. are all synonyms of P. equi.
FIG. 6.74. Auricular acariasis due to Psoroptes cuniculi infestation. The external ear canal contains accumulations of branlike serous crusts containing mites.
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