Post by Ritzie/Admin on May 25, 2007 9:29:06 GMT -8
E. coli in Gerbils
Credits: All of the content of this post was taken from this thread, and combined by Pepandmax!
;D Credit goes exclusively to those who contributed content to that post (including doomgerbiluk, mice, woestrat, Peter, Sandy, Ed, and kelis—let me know if I missed anyone). Wherever I have used a direct quotation, I have indicated the original source.
Symptoms: Symptoms of E.coli in gerbils include tiredness, lethargy, diarrhea, dehydration, and eventually death.
Similar illnesses: Tyzzer's and salmonella poisoning have similar symptoms as E.coli.
Why This Is Important: “This disease could be devastating to the gerbil population and it's important we find out as much as we can to get a better idea of exactly what’s going on so that hopefully we can stop the spread. (Whitmoregirl)”
Treatment: E.coli is treated with antibiotics. If you have purchased any new gerbils, DO NOT skip the quarantine!
Contagious: E.coli is extremely contagious. It is spread through handling and cross-contamination from tank accessories, bedding, and so on.
Distribution: E.coli has been reported in the United Kingdom. There have been some concerns that large commercial breeders that bring exotics into England without quarantine are a source. There have been rumors of E.coli in North America, including one rumored case from a breeder in Alberta and one rumored case in Texas.
Reporting: In order to try to track the source of E.coli, if you suspect that your animal has died from E.coli, it is strongly suggested that your vet performs a culture in order to confirm the case. If the cause of death was indeed E.coli infection, kindly report the case to Julian (julian(AT)gerbils.co.uk) so that the cases might be tracked. Please include the following information:
1) What was bought or obtained
2) When
3) Where - including name of business if appropriate
4) Symptoms
5) When the animal became sick and when it died if appropriate
If the problem arises in current stock, the dates, symptoms, age and other details would also be helpful.
Breeding & Genetic Health: As always when breeding, use the healthiest, fittest, strongest gerbils for stock. Gerbils that have suffered from illnesses as pups, gerbils that are undersized, or gerbils that have genetic defects shouldn't be bred. In all cases, avoid inbreeding, unless there are specific goals, and even then, outcross as soon as possible. Maintain genetic diversity to prevent a catastrophic spread of all illnesses, and in particular E.coli infection.
Antibiotic Use & Pathogenic Bacteria: This post was by Ed.
“Male Gerbil (A) has non- pathogenic bacteria that doesn’t bother him and causes no problems. It is a simple or “garden variety” germ. Female Gerbil (B) is paired to him and she too has her own bacteria that may have a few resistances, but these are not necessarily harmful to her. The bacteria in Male gerbil (A) has the ability to take on the characteristics and resistances of the bacteria present in female gerbil (B). The breeder then decides to cross the male to say a gerbil foreign to these bloodlines, say something he brought from a fellow breeder or even abroad. Her bacteria (C) has a few resistances of their own to other antibiotics. Now it’s possible for the bacteria in gerbil(A) to take on the resistances of bacteria (B) or (C)’s, or even both. So as you can see it isn’t long before the bacteria in gerbil (A) has the ability to become pathogenic with resistances to several or many, or worse scenario, all antibiotics. If gerbil (A) can deal with these bacteria, then all can remain ok for quite a while. But if the accumulation of A, B and C are now a strain on gerbil (A)’s immune system and he cant handle all three at one go, or his immune system is fighting another problem then its ever so easy for the bacteria from himself (A) and gerbil (B)’s and (C)'s bacteria to become pathogenic to him, which then causes the problem. Also If a new gerbil is brought in (especially after the stress of importing) they may be simply unable to fight these bacteria and will succumb very quickly.
This is why antibiotic use in these cases should be used for a lengthy period, and a sensitivity test undertaken to prescribe appropriate antibiotics. The big mistake is to finish courses early, because the gerbil appears to be healthy once again. Bacterial growth is only temporarily slowed down by the antibiotic (this is how antibiotics are designed to perform) So as soon as the drug is withdrawn, the bacteria will then bounce back with renewed vigour and a tolerance for the antibiotic that was used.
If it’s a pathenogenic form of E.Coli then even the healthy ones in litters are carriers, as are the ones that recover. They need lengthy courses of an appropriate antibiotic. Incidentally after a while we noticed that in litters where E.Coli was present that some gerbils in litters were healthy and resistant, but still some in the same litter succumbed to diarrhoea. So its unwise to breed even from the healthy ones, until treating, or it will spread through all your animals very quickly. Also if you are going to test the droppings it should really be done when the gerbil is ill and the bacteria is in a pathenogenic stage, it isn’t much use testing it after its recovered! For the simple reason because E.Coli exists naturally in the body. Also a post mortem test is far more useful to a lab, but it must be taken swiftly for analysis.”
Isn't There E.coli In Humans? This post was by Sandy.
E. coli bacteria are present in all human and most animal (mammalian) guts and are usually a normal and healthy part of life. However, there are certain strains (families) of E. coli that can cause severe diarrhoea and even death, both in humans and animals such as gerbils. Cases causing death in humans have occurred in young children who have eaten poorly cooked hamburger meat, unwashed salads and strawberries, and unpasteurized fruit juices. In gerbils, these deadly strains can come from unwashed fresh vegetables and from other gerbils who are infected. Usually healthy adults are not affected and can even be carriers of deadly strains without getting sick, but when the strain is acquired by a pup as it grows (perhaps from it's parent), especially around weaning time when it might not be getting the food and water it needs to be at optimum health and immunity, it can get sick very quickly and die. Some people have lost whole litters this way. In a population of animals, eventually all the susceptible animals die off and the resistant ones take over the majority of the population until another deadly strain arises. The problems can occur when resistant, carrier populations of animals meet up with non-resistant ones, just such a situation as might be occurring in Europe right now. It becomes a cause for concern for breeders with non-resistant populations of animals, who are looking at potentially big losses of genetic lines they have worked hard to establish.
There are also a whole host of other bacteria and viruses that can also cause deadly cases of diarrhoea with symptoms very similar to those of these strains of E. coli. Just because the particular strain of E. coli is not discovered in an animal with severe, possibly deadly diarrhoea, does not mean that it is not a potentially dangerous situation. It is the dehydration caused by the diarrhoea that can be so quickly deadly so the presence of diarrhoea in the first place should bring one to attention. Additionally E. coli mutates rapidly and new deadly strains can arise quite quickly. So getting a vet to say "It's not a known virulent strain of E. coli" doesn't really satisfy, I'm afraid. The best bet is cleanliness, prevention and good animal husbandry to keep the population healthy and disease free.
Credits: All of the content of this post was taken from this thread, and combined by Pepandmax!
;D Credit goes exclusively to those who contributed content to that post (including doomgerbiluk, mice, woestrat, Peter, Sandy, Ed, and kelis—let me know if I missed anyone). Wherever I have used a direct quotation, I have indicated the original source.Symptoms: Symptoms of E.coli in gerbils include tiredness, lethargy, diarrhea, dehydration, and eventually death.
Similar illnesses: Tyzzer's and salmonella poisoning have similar symptoms as E.coli.
Why This Is Important: “This disease could be devastating to the gerbil population and it's important we find out as much as we can to get a better idea of exactly what’s going on so that hopefully we can stop the spread. (Whitmoregirl)”
Treatment: E.coli is treated with antibiotics. If you have purchased any new gerbils, DO NOT skip the quarantine!
Contagious: E.coli is extremely contagious. It is spread through handling and cross-contamination from tank accessories, bedding, and so on.
Distribution: E.coli has been reported in the United Kingdom. There have been some concerns that large commercial breeders that bring exotics into England without quarantine are a source. There have been rumors of E.coli in North America, including one rumored case from a breeder in Alberta and one rumored case in Texas.
Reporting: In order to try to track the source of E.coli, if you suspect that your animal has died from E.coli, it is strongly suggested that your vet performs a culture in order to confirm the case. If the cause of death was indeed E.coli infection, kindly report the case to Julian (julian(AT)gerbils.co.uk) so that the cases might be tracked. Please include the following information:
1) What was bought or obtained
2) When
3) Where - including name of business if appropriate
4) Symptoms
5) When the animal became sick and when it died if appropriate
If the problem arises in current stock, the dates, symptoms, age and other details would also be helpful.
Breeding & Genetic Health: As always when breeding, use the healthiest, fittest, strongest gerbils for stock. Gerbils that have suffered from illnesses as pups, gerbils that are undersized, or gerbils that have genetic defects shouldn't be bred. In all cases, avoid inbreeding, unless there are specific goals, and even then, outcross as soon as possible. Maintain genetic diversity to prevent a catastrophic spread of all illnesses, and in particular E.coli infection.
Antibiotic Use & Pathogenic Bacteria: This post was by Ed.
“Male Gerbil (A) has non- pathogenic bacteria that doesn’t bother him and causes no problems. It is a simple or “garden variety” germ. Female Gerbil (B) is paired to him and she too has her own bacteria that may have a few resistances, but these are not necessarily harmful to her. The bacteria in Male gerbil (A) has the ability to take on the characteristics and resistances of the bacteria present in female gerbil (B). The breeder then decides to cross the male to say a gerbil foreign to these bloodlines, say something he brought from a fellow breeder or even abroad. Her bacteria (C) has a few resistances of their own to other antibiotics. Now it’s possible for the bacteria in gerbil(A) to take on the resistances of bacteria (B) or (C)’s, or even both. So as you can see it isn’t long before the bacteria in gerbil (A) has the ability to become pathogenic with resistances to several or many, or worse scenario, all antibiotics. If gerbil (A) can deal with these bacteria, then all can remain ok for quite a while. But if the accumulation of A, B and C are now a strain on gerbil (A)’s immune system and he cant handle all three at one go, or his immune system is fighting another problem then its ever so easy for the bacteria from himself (A) and gerbil (B)’s and (C)'s bacteria to become pathogenic to him, which then causes the problem. Also If a new gerbil is brought in (especially after the stress of importing) they may be simply unable to fight these bacteria and will succumb very quickly.
This is why antibiotic use in these cases should be used for a lengthy period, and a sensitivity test undertaken to prescribe appropriate antibiotics. The big mistake is to finish courses early, because the gerbil appears to be healthy once again. Bacterial growth is only temporarily slowed down by the antibiotic (this is how antibiotics are designed to perform) So as soon as the drug is withdrawn, the bacteria will then bounce back with renewed vigour and a tolerance for the antibiotic that was used.
If it’s a pathenogenic form of E.Coli then even the healthy ones in litters are carriers, as are the ones that recover. They need lengthy courses of an appropriate antibiotic. Incidentally after a while we noticed that in litters where E.Coli was present that some gerbils in litters were healthy and resistant, but still some in the same litter succumbed to diarrhoea. So its unwise to breed even from the healthy ones, until treating, or it will spread through all your animals very quickly. Also if you are going to test the droppings it should really be done when the gerbil is ill and the bacteria is in a pathenogenic stage, it isn’t much use testing it after its recovered! For the simple reason because E.Coli exists naturally in the body. Also a post mortem test is far more useful to a lab, but it must be taken swiftly for analysis.”
Isn't There E.coli In Humans? This post was by Sandy.
E. coli bacteria are present in all human and most animal (mammalian) guts and are usually a normal and healthy part of life. However, there are certain strains (families) of E. coli that can cause severe diarrhoea and even death, both in humans and animals such as gerbils. Cases causing death in humans have occurred in young children who have eaten poorly cooked hamburger meat, unwashed salads and strawberries, and unpasteurized fruit juices. In gerbils, these deadly strains can come from unwashed fresh vegetables and from other gerbils who are infected. Usually healthy adults are not affected and can even be carriers of deadly strains without getting sick, but when the strain is acquired by a pup as it grows (perhaps from it's parent), especially around weaning time when it might not be getting the food and water it needs to be at optimum health and immunity, it can get sick very quickly and die. Some people have lost whole litters this way. In a population of animals, eventually all the susceptible animals die off and the resistant ones take over the majority of the population until another deadly strain arises. The problems can occur when resistant, carrier populations of animals meet up with non-resistant ones, just such a situation as might be occurring in Europe right now. It becomes a cause for concern for breeders with non-resistant populations of animals, who are looking at potentially big losses of genetic lines they have worked hard to establish.
There are also a whole host of other bacteria and viruses that can also cause deadly cases of diarrhoea with symptoms very similar to those of these strains of E. coli. Just because the particular strain of E. coli is not discovered in an animal with severe, possibly deadly diarrhoea, does not mean that it is not a potentially dangerous situation. It is the dehydration caused by the diarrhoea that can be so quickly deadly so the presence of diarrhoea in the first place should bring one to attention. Additionally E. coli mutates rapidly and new deadly strains can arise quite quickly. So getting a vet to say "It's not a known virulent strain of E. coli" doesn't really satisfy, I'm afraid. The best bet is cleanliness, prevention and good animal husbandry to keep the population healthy and disease free.
