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RABBIT HEMORRHAGIC DISEASE - USA (NEW YORK)
ProMED-Mail, Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease - USA (New York), ProMED-Mail 2001; 20011215.3040, <http://www.promedmail.org>, Accessed 03 January 2006
Date: 13 Dec 2001 [the delay in posting is regretted - Mod.JW]
From: Thomas E Walton <Thomas.E.Walton@usda.gov>
Source: Official USDA APHIS release [edited]
Definition: Emergency Management Warning is an ongoing incident with almost certain impact on APHIS.
Emergency Management Warning : Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease (Viral Hemorrhagic Disease of Rabbits ) in Flushing, New York.
Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Confirmed in a Captive Exotic Animal Facility in Flushing, New York.
On 1 & 2 Dec 2001, 2 of 6 rabbits on exhibit in the domestic animal section at a captive exotic animal facility were found dead. There were 2 additional rabbits in an off-exhibit area, for a total of 8 rabbits in the collection.
This is not considered a zoonotic disease [i.e. no danger to humans]. Animals were necropsied by zoo pathologists, and lesions consistent with rabbit hemorrhagic disease (RHD) were found. Samples from the dead rabbits were sent to the Foreign Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (FADDL) on Plum Island, New York.
Test results were positive by hemagglutination on one rabbit and negative on the other on 7 Dec 2001. A third exhibited rabbit died on 9 Dec 2001. The remaining rabbits were quarantined and isolated from other animals. The 5 remaining rabbits were euthanized on 10 Dec 2001, and additional samples will be sent to FADDL. Cleaning and disinfection of the area will be done.
From the epidemiological data gathered so far, the source of the virus is unknown.
APHIS, Veterinary Services (VS), the State Department of Agriculture of New York, and facility managers are working together to address this situation. VS will assist the affected State in the depopulation and cleaning and disinfecting of the premises. VS will also investigate reports of suspect RHD as part of its foreign animal disease surveillance program and will continue to diagnose suspect
cases at FADDL.
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Thomas E Walton
<Thomas.E.Walton@usda.gov>
RABBIT HEMORRHAGIC DISEASE - USA
ProMED-Mail, Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease - USA, ProMed-Mail 2002, 20020203.3471 <http://www.promedmail.org>, Accessed 03 January 2006
Date: 31 Jan 2002
From: Dr. Thomas E. Walton, USDA <walton@usda.gov>
In response to a number of questions submitted from the ProMED-mail Moderator to the USDA, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), Veterinary Services (VS) with regard to the outbreak of rabbit hemorrhagic disease (RHD) that occurred in rabbits in the domestic area of an exotic animal facility in NY, I offer the following:
1. Currently available epidemiologic information about the outbreak of RHD that occurred in the affected facility is insufficient to ascribe an origin for the rabbit calicivirus isolated. We have information that rabbit meat from US-origin suppliers who receive rabbit meat from many sources including rabbit meat imported from China was prepared for the zoo carnivores in the same kitchen in which the rabbit diets were prepared. Food and other samples from the kitchen have been received and tested for rabbit caliciviruses at the USDA, APHIS, VS, Foreign Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, Plum Island, NY. While RHD virus was isolated from the rabbits in the petting zoo, all samples from the kitchen have been negative for rabbit caliciviruses. USDA, APHIS does not regulate imported commercial rabbit meat.
An alternate scenario is infection from rabbit owners who visited the petting zoo. However, we have had no recent reports of RHD virus infections in rabbitries in the United States. In short, we have no unequivocal epidemiologic information on which to make a determination of the origin of the virus.
2. USDA, APHIS has not issued any alerts attributing the RHD outbreak at the facility to RHD-virus infected rabbit meat because we have insufficient information to make such a recommendation. It would be less than responsible to warn of "RHD virus-infected rabbit meat" when we have no idea if that is true. US experiences with RHD have involved backyard "herds" and now, the petting zoo.
3. USDA, APHIS has no indication that RHD virus-infected rabbit meat has been imported into the United States. However, the rabbit meat suppliers receive their supply from various companies, including one company that imports rabbit meat from China.
4. USDA, APHIS has no data to suggest that US-origin rabbit meat is fed at the affected facility. This is unclear because the company from which the zoo purchases is of US origin but receives meat from China through a chain of suppliers. There is no way to determine how much meat was directly from China and how much meat was of US origin.
5. The RHD viruses are considered exotic to the United States. As stated previously, "commercial" rabbit producers have not reported disease. Extensive tracebacks from this and earlier outbreaks have not yielded any indication of an associated origin from US rabbit raisers, including commercial producers. Therefore, no meat from infected rabbits reaches commercial distribution. It is improbable that US origin rabbit meat infected with RHD virus has been marketed to wholesale or retail outlets.
Thomas E. Walton, DVM, PhD, ScD, Director
Centers for Epidemiology and Animal Health
USDA, Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service
Veterinary Services
Fort Collins, CO
<walton@usda.gov>
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