{"id":27172,"date":"2022-12-15t16:20:15","date_gmt":"2022-12-15t16:20:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dev.planetforward.com\/2022\/12\/15\/foreign-rabbit-disease-threatens-connecticut-rabbit-populations\/"},"modified":"2023-02-28t20:01:21","modified_gmt":"2023-02-28t20:01:21","slug":"disease-connecticut-rabbit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/story\/disease-connecticut-rabbit\/","title":{"rendered":"foreign rabbit disease threatens connecticut rabbit populations"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
mansfield, connecticut \u2013 a recently detected foreign pathogen is posing a significant threat to both wild and domestic rabbit populations in connecticut, researchers say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
the connecticut veterinary medical diagnostic laboratory (cvmdl) recently identified a domestic case of the rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus type 2 (rhdv2) in the state. the cvmdl is part of the university of connecticut\u2019s college of agriculture, health and natural resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
dr. guillermo risatti, the director of the cvmdl, oversaw the lab\u2019s identification of rhdv2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cwhenever there is an outbreak \u2013 in this case a significant die-off of rabbits \u2013 most likely what happened is that the owner called the vet, the vet saw it as an unusual event and let the state know,\u201d risatti said. \u201cthen the lab jumps in and has to conduct a foreign animal disease investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n dr. emily reinhardt is an associate director of the cvmdl and an assistant clinical professor of veterinary pathology at the university of connecticut, or uconn. she added that the cvmdl had been monitoring regional cases of rhdv2 before the first case in connecticut was brought to the lab for identification in september.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cit\u2019s been informally on the radar of the lab for a while,\u201d reinhardt said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n as risatti mentioned, the identified case of rhdv2 was sent to the cvmdl because a significant number of rabbits in a domestic population died in a short amount of time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cdr. lewis, the state veterinarian, reached out to us to let us know the virus had been identified in new jersey and that we should be on high alert,\u201d reinhardt said. \u201csoon after, she submitted to us the domestic case that was diagnosed as positive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n according to reinhard, the symptoms of rhdv2 are easily identifiable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cthe classic sign is the bloody nose,\u201d reinhard said. \u201cthe rabbit just dies suddenly, and often has a bloody nose.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n according to the usda, the blood-stained nose is from internal bleeding that the virus causes. infected rabbits may also develop a fever, be hesitant to eat or show signs of nervousness or respiratory issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n part of the concern over the disease is that rhdv2 is extremely contagious and often fatal to infected rabbits, reinhardt said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cit\u2019s a more infectious variant of the classic rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus; the fatality rates are higher and it targets a wider age range of rabbit than the classic variation,\u201d reinhardt said. \u201cthere is a higher threat to wild species with this variation; it\u2019s more dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n much of the current concern regarding rhdv2 is the possibility of the disease entering connecticut\u2019s wild rabbit population, reinhardt said. \u201cthe risk to connecticut\u2019s wild rabbit population relates to the disease\u2019s high fatality rate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n rhdv2 could also remain in the wild rabbit population as a reservoir, and perpetuate a cycle of transmission between wild and domestic populations, reinhardt said. \u201cit can be transmitted on fur, wood, animal droppings or urine, shoes or by pets, so there is risk to any domestic rabbit with access to an outside area.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n other experts already had concerns regarding the state\u2019s wild rabbit populations before the identification of rhdv2 in connecticut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n chadwick rittenhouse, ph.d., is an assistant professor in residence in the department of natural resources and the environment at uconn who has done extensive research on wild rabbit populations in the state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n there are two species of wild rabbit in connecticut \u2013 the eastern cottontail rabbit and the new england cottontail rabbit, rittenhouse said in an interview. the new england cottontail is native, whereas the eastern cottontail is invasive. population numbers for the new england cottontail are already low, rittenhouse said.<\/p>\n\n\na spreading crisis<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
wild rabbit populations already fragile<\/h2>\n\n\n\n