Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Agriculture, National Chiayi University, 300 Syuefu Road, Chiayi City, Taiwan.
Vet Parasitol. 2011 Dec 29;183(1-2):68-71. doi: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2011.06.011. Epub 2011 Jun 24.
Encephalitozoon cuniculi (E. cuniculi) is a microsporidian parasite commonly found in rabbits that can infect humans, causing encephalitozoonosis. Our laboratory recently confirmed the first case of encephalitozoonosis in a rabbit in Taiwan; the prevalence of encephalitozoonosis is not well documented, even when many clinics suspect pet rabbits as being infected. This study surveys the seropositivity of E. cuniculi using carbon immunoassay (CIA) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Serological examination of 171 rabbits using CIA and ELISA showed that 63.2% (108/171) and 67.8% (116/171) were seropositive against E. cuniculi, respectively. Thirteen of the 14 rabbits (92.9%) with neurological symptoms were seropositive. Except for gender, health status and location had a significant effect on E. cuniculi seropositivity (p<0.05). Adult rabbits aged older than 4 months exhibited significantly higher seropositivity for E. cuniculi than young rabbits (p<0.05). In conclusion, this study shows that E. cuniculi is present and widespread among healthy rabbits in Taiwan. Therefore, the fields of veterinary and human medicine in Taiwan should be aware of this zoonotic issue and the resulting public health concern of encephalitozoonosis.
兔脑炎原虫（E. cuniculi）是一种常见于兔子的微孢子虫寄生虫，可感染人类，引起脑炎原虫病。我们实验室最近在台湾确认了首例兔子脑炎原虫病病例；尽管许多诊所怀疑宠物兔被感染，但脑炎原虫病的流行情况并没有得到很好的记录。本研究使用碳免疫分析（CIA）和酶联免疫吸附试验（ELISA）调查兔脑炎原虫的血清阳性率。使用 CIA 和 ELISA 对 171 只兔子进行血清学检查，结果显示，分别有 63.2%（108/171）和 67.8%（116/171）的兔子对兔脑炎原虫呈血清阳性。14 只出现神经症状的兔子中有 13 只呈血清阳性。除性别外，健康状况和地点对兔脑炎原虫血清阳性率有显著影响（p<0.05）。4 个月以上的成年兔对兔脑炎原虫的血清阳性率明显高于幼兔（p<0.05）。总之，本研究表明兔脑炎原虫在台湾健康兔中普遍存在。因此，台湾的兽医和人类医学领域应意识到这一动物源性疾病及其引发的脑炎原虫病的公共卫生问题。
