Rabbit Medicine and Surgery Q&A 14

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A pet rabbit is presented with oedematous swelling of the anogenital area.

Question	Answer		Article
What are your differential diagnoses?	Differential diagnoses are Treponema cuniculi and myxomatosis virus infections. The former manifests as redness and oedema of the external genitalia, followed by vesicles and scabs. Lesions can also be found on the head, around the muzzle, from autoinoculation. Myxomatosis in rabbits causes swelling of the mucocutaneous junctions of the anogenital region, as well as swelling of the head, ears and eyelids. Anogenital swelling could also occur secondary to bacterial infection, such as Staphylococcus aureus.		Link to Article
What further diagnostic tests would you perform?	Diagnosis of rabbit syphilis involves identification of the organism by dark-field microscopy of scrapings, histology using silver dye, or serology. Bacterial and fungal culture may also be indicated. Skin biopsies should be taken to differentiate between Treponema and myxomatosis infections in the absence of other clinical signs.		Link to Article