Significance of staphylococcus aureus in rabbits in Assiut Governorate

Abstract EN

A total of 67 rabbits (18 apparently healthy and 49 freshly dead rabbits were collected from different private rabbitaries at Assiut Governorate.

All cases were subjected to post-mortem and bacteriological examinations for possible recovery of Staphylococcus aureus microorganisms.

Only 15 positive cases of Staph.

aureus were isolated with an incidence of 22.38% (out of 18 apparently normal rabbit, 2 (11.11%) rabbits were affected with Staph.

aureus while, from 49 freshly dead rabbits 13 (26.53%) were positive for Staph.

aureus.

Experimental infection in 6-8 week-old rabbits via the subcutaneous (S/C) injection of isolated Staph.

aureus led to 80% mortality with post-mortem lesions similar to a great extent to those of natural infection.

Reisolation of inoculated bacteria was also done.

The in vitro sensitivity testing of the isolated Staph.

aureus against different antimicrobial agents showed that the examined isolates were highly sensitivite to ciprofloxacin, enerofloxacin, amikacin and gentamycin.