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Background: Rabbits are the most important protein sources of animals for humans all over the world. Its production has increased significantly in recent years and it has become one of the most important animal sources in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Coccidiosis is one of the most dangerous diseases affecting rabbits and other animals causing global economic losses. Plant extracts have been used as potential alternatives to chemotherapy because they do not have the negative consequences of tissue deposits and drug resistance. Methods: The current study examined the antioxidant activity of Vitis vinifera leaf extract (VVLE) in New Zealand rabbits infected with Eimeria stiedae. The extract was subjected to phytochemical analysis by FT-IR. A total of 35 male New Zealand rabbits were divided into seven groups. Group 1 served as the uninfected, untreated (negative control) group. Group 2 uninfected and treated at 400 mg/kg of extract to test for toxicity. Group 3 represented the infected, non-treated (positive control) group. While, groups 4, 5 and 6 comprised infected treated with at 100 mg/kg, 200 mg/kg and 400 mg/kg of extracts, respectively. Finally, group 7 consisted of infected rabbits treated with Toltrazuril at a dosage of 5 mg/kg body weight. Result: The analysis of phytochemicals by FT-IR for Vitis vinifera leaf extract revealed the existence of 15 biologically active compounds. VVLE was able to decrease the induced weight loss due to infection. Moreover, the oxidative status due to E. stiedae infection had been changed after treatment with VVLE where the level of glutathione, malondialdehyde and nitric oxide was improved indicating the antioxidant activity of the VVLE. Our findings suggested that VVLE could boost the induced oxidative stress in the liver of infected New Zealand rabbits, but studies are needed to determine the mechanism of VVLE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of probiotics in the treatment of hepatic coccidiosis in rabbits. Methods: A total of 30 White New Zealand rabbits of both sexes, aged 4-6 weeks and weighing 600-700 g, were divided into three groups. The first group of rabbits received probiotics (100 mg/L) in drinking water for 12 days, while the second group of rabbits served as a positive control. Both groups were challenged with 1 × 105 Eimeria stiedae oocysts. The third group of uninfected rabbits served as the negative control. The effects of probiotic treatment on fecal oocysts output, body growth gain, liver enzymes, red blood cell count, hemoglobin level, packed cell volume, lymphocytes count and histopathological lesions were observed. Results: Compared to the positive control, rabbits treated with probiotics exhibited no diarrhea or mortality, and there was a significant reduction in fecal oocysts output. Additionally, body growth gain was significantly higher in probiotic-treated rabbits compared to the positive control. Furthermore, liver enzymes and white blood cell counts were decreased in treated rabbits, while red blood cells, hemoglobin, packed cell volume and lymphocyte count were elevated. Severe histopathological lesions were observed in the bile ducts and hepatic parenchyma of positive control rabbits compared to probiotic-treated and negative control groups. The study findings were statistically significant, with P values ranging from less than 0.001 to less than 0.05. Conclusions: Probiotics significantly improve the health performance of rabbits with hepatic coccidiosis by reducing pathological changes and stabilizing hematological parameters. Additionally, this product maintains substantial normal liver enzymes levels in infected rabbits, making it a safe and effective treatment for hepatic coccidiosis in rabbits.

Simple Summary: Hepatic coccidiosis is a severe rabbit parasitic disease caused by Eimeria stiedae. It may be fatal for rabbits and leads to important economic losses. The disease is well described in domestic rabbits, but little is known about infection with E. stiedae in wild rabbits. In this study, we investigated (a) whether wild rabbits from the island of Lemnos, Greece, where this species is overpopulated, are infected with E. stiedae and (b) what the effects are of this infection on their liver function. Based on our findings, 13.3% of the wild rabbits included in this study were infected with E. stiedae. Moreover, we observed several alterations in the liver variables in infected individuals compared to the non-infected ones, which were indicative of the negative effects of E. stiedae infection on the liver function of wild rabbits. This study adds to the current knowledge on the pathogens affecting wild rabbits and those circulating in this population on the island of Lemnos, Greece, and shows that E. stiedae infection impairs liver function in wild rabbits. (1) Background: Rabbit hepatic coccidiosis, caused by Eimeria stiedae, is a devastating disease with high morbidity and mortality rates. The disease is well described in rabbits, but little is known about E. stiedae infection in wild rabbits. In this study, we investigated the presence of E. stiedae infection in wild rabbits from the island of Lemnos, Greece, where this species is overpopulated, and the effects of infection on common hepatic biomarkers. (2) Methods: We used liver impression smears to detect the coccidian oocysts, and we defined the liver biochemical profile of the infected individuals. (3) Results: Overall, 13.3% of the liver imprints examined were positive for the presence of coccidial oocysts. The activities of liver enzymes, that is, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and glutamyltransferase (GGT), as well as globulins (GLOB), were increased while the concentrations of albumins (ALB), total proteins (TP) and the albumin to globulin (A/G) ratio were decreased in the infected individuals compared to the non-infected ones. (4) Conclusions: This study adds to the current knowledge on the pathogens affecting wild rabbits and those circulating in this population on the island of Lemnos, Greece. Moreover, we showed that E. stiedae infection exerts pathological effects on the hepatocyte integrity and liver function of wild rabbits, as reflected by the abnormal values of liver injury and dysfunction biomarkers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study reports the clinico-pathologic changes observed in spontaneous hepatic coccidiosis caused by Eimeria stiedae in rabbits at Bannerghatta Biological Park (BBP) in Karnataka state of India. The clinical signs observed in the affected rabbits included sudden death, stunted growth, anorexia, weight loss, diarrhoea and abdominal pain. Increased liver enzymes and bilirubin was noticed upon biochemical examination. At necropsy, lesions included grossly enlarged liver (hepatomegaly) with presence of discrete yellowish-white nodules ranging from 1mm to 5mm size throughout the parenchyma containing a thick creamy white fluid. Faecal sample examination demonstrated the presence of Eimeria oocyts. The impression smears from the liver and intestinal mucosa also showed Eimeria oocysts, degenerative changes, necrotic cells and mononuclear cell aggregation to form oocyst granuloma. Histological observation revealed distension of bile duct, hyperplasia of epithelium along with numerous coccidian oocysts at the centre. Granulomatous tissues were observed to have encircled the bile duct with infiltration of inflammatory cells. Microscopic examination of exudates from liver also revealed numerous oocysts of E. stiedae. Multiple areas of coagulative necrosis of hepatic cells surrounded with inflammatory cells were also found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hepatic coccidiosis is a contagious and lethal disease condition in rabbits. The disease was recorded in six rabbits suffering with watery diarrhoea. Clinically, affected rabbits showed decreased growth rate, anorexia, debilitation, diarrhea and rough hair coat. Examination of the faecal samples revealed the presence of unsporulated oocysts of Eimeria spp. After sporulation Eimeria stiedae oocysts were identified. Postmortem examination revealed hepatomegaly with presence of discrete yellowish-white nodules on the surface of the liver. Impression smears from the liver revealed the presence of numerous developmental stages of E. stiedae corresponding with the stage of the liver lesion and also represent the histological changes of the liver. Rabbits were treated with a combination of sulphaquinoxaline and diaveridine for five days. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

study was conducted to investigate the protective and therapeutic effects of crude garlic ( Allium sativum) against experimental infection with Eimeria stiedae in rabbits. Forty rabbits were divided into four groups of ten rabbits each: a healthy control group (HC); a challenged-garlic-protected group (CGP) which received a daily dose of 0.5 g/kg body weight (bwt) crude garlic for five successive days before challenge with E. stiedae; a challenged-garlic-treated group (CGT) which was treated with a daily dose of 0.5 g/kg bwt crude garlic for five successive days post-challenge; and an infected control group (IC). The challenge dose was 5 × 10 sporulated E. stiedae oocysts per rabbit. Mortality rate, body weight gain, feed conversion ratio and faecal oocyst count were evaluated throughout the experiment. At the end of the experiment, all rabbits were killed and histopathological examination was performed. No mortalities were recorded in the HC and CGP groups, whilst mortality was found to be 20% and 40% in the CGT and IC groups, respectively. CGP rabbits had better body weight gain and lower numbers of oocysts than those in the CGT and IC groups. Hepatic lesions were less severe in the CGP group than in the CGT and IC groups. These results showed that oral administration of crude garlic ameliorated the adverse impacts of hepatic coccidiosis on rabbits when used as a prophylactic, but garlic was less effective as a therapeutic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eimeria stiedai is an apicomplexan protozoan parasite that invades the liver and bile duct epithelial cells in rabbits and causes severe hepatic coccidiosis, resulting in significant economic losses in the domestic rabbit industry. Hepatic coccidiosis lacks the typical clinical symptoms and there is a lack of effective premortem tools to timely diagnose this disease. Therefore, in the present study we cloned and expressed the two microneme proteins i.e., microneme protein 1 (EsMIC1) and microneme protein 3 (EsMIC3) from E. stiedai and used them as recombinant antigens to develop a serodiagnostic method for an effective diagnosis of hepatic coccidiosis. The cDNAs encoding EsMIC1 and EsMIC3 were cloned and the mRNA expression levels of these two genes at different developmental stages of E. stiedai were determined by quantitative real-time PCR analysis (qRT-PCR). The immunoreactivity of recombinant EsMIC1 (rEsMIC1) and EsMIC3 (rEsMIC3) proteins were detected by Western blotting, and indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) based on these two recombinant antigens were established to evaluate their serodiagnostic potential. Our results showed that the proteins encoded by the ORFs of EsMIC1 (711 bp) and EsMIC3 (891 bp) were approximately 25.89 and 32.39 kDa in predicted molecular weight, respectively. Both EsMIC1 and EsMIC3 showed the highest mRNA expression levels in the merozoites stage of E. stiedai. Western blotting analysis revealed that both recombinant proteins were recognized by E. stiedai positive sera, and the indirect ELISAs using rEsMIC1 and rEsMIC3 were developed based on their good immunoreactivity, with 100% (48/48) sensitivity and 97.9% (47/48) specificity for rEsMIC1 with 100% (48/48) sensitivity and 100% (48/48) specificity for rEsMIC3, respectively. Moreover, rEsMIC1- and rEsMIC3-based indirect ELISA were able to detect corresponding antibodies in sera at days 6, 8, and 10 post E. stiedai infection, with the highest positive diagnostic rate (62.5% (30/48) for rEsMIC1 and 66.7% (32/48) for rEsMIC3) observed at day 10 post infection. Therefore, both EsMIC1 and EsMIC3 can be used as potential serodiagnostic candidate antigens for hepatic coccidiosis caused by E. stiedai. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]