Paratuberculosis in wild rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus)

A preliminary survey of wild rabbits on four farms in the Tayside Region of Scotland where Johnes disease has an above average incidence revealed that 67 per cent of healthy adult rabbits were infected with Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis. Gross changes in the intestine were minimal but histologically the changes int he mesenteric lymph nodes and intestines were consistent with those seen with paratuberculosis in ruminants. A more extensive rabbit survey covering 22 animal units scattered throughout Scotland revealed that the findings of the preliminary survey were largely confined to the Tayside Region. These surveys raise the possibility that wildlife could be involved in the epidemiology of paratuberculosis which has important implications for the control of this disease.