Tapeworm Infestations
Several species of tapeworms infect wild Iagomorphs, but adult tapeworms are rare in the domestic rabbit. The most common adult tapeworm of domestic rabbits is Cittotaenia variabilis, which attaches to the mucosa of the small intestine.
Its intermediate hosts are believed to be orbatid mites. Infection occurs through ingestion of infested grass or hay. Wild lagomorphs are an important intermediate host for Taenia pisiformis, a parasite whose definitive hosts are wild canids. On occasion, cysticerosis may occur in domestic rabbits. The intermediate host stage is known as Cysticercus pisiformis. Upon ingestion of eggs, larvae hatch in the small intestine and migrate to the liver and blood stream. Cysticerci develop in the liver for a few weeks, and then find their way to the peritoneal cavity, where they attach to serosal surfaces (Fig. 6.71). Raised, light tan, focal to linear, solitary or multiple lesions up to 3 mm in diameter are present on the surface of the liver, and single or multiple cysticerci occupy the peritoneal and occasionally pleural surfaces. Liver lesions may have granulomatous inflammation with parasite fragments surrounded by fibrosis. Taenia serialis, another tapeworm of canids, also utilizes wild lago- morphs as its intermediate hosts, and is common in Australia. The intermediate stage of this tapeworm is a coenurus (Coenurus serialis), which contains multiple larval forms with scolesces. Infestation of pet rabbits has been reported, with coenurus cysts localized in various anatomical locations. One case in Australia featured exophthalmos due to a retrobulbar cyst and multiple coenurus cysts protruding from the conjunctiva. Notably, a similar case with conjunctival coenurus cysts was noted by the authors in California.
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