{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,18]],"date-time":"2026-08-18T04:30:38Z","timestamp":1787027438687,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":51,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2020,1,17]],"date-time":"2020-01-17T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1579219200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Animals"],"abstract":"<jats:p>In this study we determined the causes of mortality and disease in a total of 325 lagomorphs (rabbits and hares) in northern Spain between 2000 and 2018. Risk factors such as the species, age, sex, time of year and origin were also considered. Clinical signs, gross and histopathological findings and ancillary test results were the basis for the final diagnoses that were reviewed to classify and identify the different disorders. A total of 26 different conditions were identified. A single cause of death or illness was detected in 267 animals. They were grouped into parasitic conditions (n= 65; 24.34%) represented by encephalitozoonosis, hepatic coccidiosis, hepatoperitoneal cysticercosis, intestinal coccidiosis, parasitic gastritis and cutaneous ectoparasitosis; bacterial diseases (n = 56; 20.97%) including pseudotuberculosis, blue breast, skin abscesses, tularemia, pneumonic pasteurellosis and staphylococcal infections; nutritional and metabolic diseases (n = 48; 17.97%) with epizootic rabbit enteropathy, hepatic steatosis and pregnancy toxemia as prominent diseases; viral infections (n= 31; 11.61%) comprising rabbit hemorrhagic disease and myxomatosis and miscellaneous causes (n = 31; 11.61%) where rabbit enteritis complex, renal conditions (nephrosis), heat stroke, and arterial bone metaplasia were included; neoplasms (n = 12; 4.49%) represented by uterine adenocarcinoma, mammary adenocarcinoma, cutaneous fibroma, intestinal lymphoma and hepatic cholangiocarcinoma; toxicoses (n = 11; 4.11%); trauma-related injuries (n = 9; 3.37%) and finally congenital diseases (n = 4; 1.49%). In 58 animals of the study, some of these conditions were presented jointly. We discuss the detection frequency, possible causes or associated factors of the different pathologies as well as the importance of the different variables considered.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ani10010158","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2020,1,17]],"date-time":"2020-01-17T07:39:02Z","timestamp":1579246742000},"page":"158","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":47,"title":["Causes of Mortality and Disease in Rabbits and Hares: A Retrospective Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"10","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9036-1402","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jos\u00e9","family":"Espinosa","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Sanidad Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Campus de Vegazana s\/n, Universidad de Le\u00f3n, 24071 Le\u00f3n, Spain"},{"name":"Departamento de Sanidad Animal, Instituto de Ganader\u00eda de Monta\u00f1a (CSIC-Universidad de Le\u00f3n), Finca Marzanas, Grulleros, 24346 Le\u00f3n, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"M. Carmen","family":"Ferreras","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Sanidad Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Campus de Vegazana s\/n, Universidad de Le\u00f3n, 24071 Le\u00f3n, Spain"},{"name":"Departamento de Sanidad Animal, Instituto de Ganader\u00eda de Monta\u00f1a (CSIC-Universidad de Le\u00f3n), Finca Marzanas, Grulleros, 24346 Le\u00f3n, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Julio","family":"Benavides","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Sanidad Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Campus de Vegazana s\/n, Universidad de Le\u00f3n, 24071 Le\u00f3n, Spain"},{"name":"Departamento de Sanidad Animal, Instituto de Ganader\u00eda de Monta\u00f1a (CSIC-Universidad de Le\u00f3n), Finca Marzanas, Grulleros, 24346 Le\u00f3n, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Nerea","family":"Cuesta","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Sanidad Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Campus de Vegazana s\/n, Universidad de Le\u00f3n, 24071 Le\u00f3n, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8060-6368","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Claudia","family":"P\u00e9rez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Sanidad Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Campus de Vegazana s\/n, Universidad de Le\u00f3n, 24071 Le\u00f3n, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7786-6561","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"M. Jos\u00e9","family":"Garc\u00eda Iglesias","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Sanidad Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Campus de Vegazana s\/n, Universidad de Le\u00f3n, 24071 Le\u00f3n, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"J. Francisco","family":"Garc\u00eda Mar\u00edn","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Sanidad Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Campus de Vegazana s\/n, Universidad de Le\u00f3n, 24071 Le\u00f3n, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Valent\u00edn","family":"P\u00e9rez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Sanidad Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Campus de Vegazana s\/n, Universidad de Le\u00f3n, 24071 Le\u00f3n, Spain"},{"name":"Departamento de Sanidad Animal, Instituto de Ganader\u00eda de Monta\u00f1a (CSIC-Universidad de Le\u00f3n), Finca Marzanas, Grulleros, 24346 Le\u00f3n, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2020,1,17]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"747","article-title":"The Rabbit in Contemporary Immunological Research","volume":"64","author":"Catty","year":"1988","journal-title":"Immunology"},{"key":"ref_2","unstructured":"Terio, K.A., McAloose, D., and Leger, J. (2018). Lagomorpha. Pathology of Wildlife and Zoo Animals, Academy Press. [5th ed.]."},{"key":"ref_3","unstructured":"Ministerio de Agricultura, Alimentaci\u00f3n y Medio Ambiente (MAGRAMA), El Sector de la Carne del Conejo en Cifras (2015, June 05). Principales Indicadores Econ\u00f3micos en 2014. Available online: http:\/\/www.magrama.gob.es\/es\/ganaderia\/temas\/produccion-y-mercados-ganaderos\/sectores-ganaderos\/cunicola\/informacion-del-sector\/."},{"key":"ref_4","first-page":"27","article-title":"Gesti\u00f3n t\u00e9cnica de explotaciones cun\u00edcolas 1992\u20132008","volume":"200","author":"Rosell","year":"2009","journal-title":"Cunicultura"},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"227","DOI":"10.1016\/j.livprodsci.2004.06.002","article-title":"Analysis of factors influencing longevity of rabbit does","volume":"90","author":"Baselga","year":"2004","journal-title":"Livest. Prod. Sci."},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) (2005). Scientific Report: The Impact of the current housing and husbandry systems on the health and welfare of farmed domestic rabbits. EFSA J., 267, 1\u201331.","DOI":"10.2903\/j.efsa.2005.267"},{"key":"ref_7","unstructured":"Ferreira, C., and Alves, P.C. (2006). Sanidade das populac\u00f5es de Coelho-bravo (Wild rabbit populations diseases). Gest\u00e3o de Populac\u00f5es de Coelho Bravo, Federac\u00e3o Alentejana de Cacadores."},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"619","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1365-2656.2007.01233.x","article-title":"Predation as a landscape effect: The trading off by prey species between predation risks and protection benefits","volume":"76","author":"Husby","year":"2007","journal-title":"J. Anim. Ecol."},{"key":"ref_9","unstructured":"Makepeace, C., Lainsbury, A., and Head, T. (2015). Welfare and behaviour in relation to disease. Domestic Animal Behaviour and Welfare, CABI. [5th ed.]."},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"56","DOI":"10.1016\/j.prevetmed.2016.03.014","article-title":"Causes of mortality in breeding rabbits","volume":"127","author":"Rosell","year":"2016","journal-title":"Prev. Vet. Med."},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Alves, P.C., Ferrand, N., and Hackl\u00e4nder, K. (2008). Physiology and Behavior. Lagomorph biology. Evolution, Ecology, and Conservation, Springer. [1st ed.].","DOI":"10.1007\/978-3-540-72446-9"},{"key":"ref_12","unstructured":"Dijkhuizen, A.A., and Morris, R.S. (1997). How economically important is animal disease and why. Animal Health Economics. Principles and Applications, Postgraduate Foundation in Veterinary Science, University of Sydney."},{"key":"ref_13","unstructured":"Dunlop, R.H., and Malbert, C.H. (2004). Welfare, stress, behaviour and pathophysiology. Veterinary Pathophysiology, Blackwell Publishing Professional."},{"key":"ref_14","first-page":"49","article-title":"Atlas fotogr\u00e1fico de necropsia en cunicultura industrial","volume":"197","author":"Corpa","year":"2009","journal-title":"Cunicultura"},{"key":"ref_15","unstructured":"Owen, D.B. (2003). Non Parametric Statistical Inference, Marcel Dekker, Inc.. [4th ed.]."},{"key":"ref_16","unstructured":"R Development Core Team (2019). A Language and Environment for Statistical Computing, R Foundation for Statistical Computing. Available online: https:\/\/www.r-project.org."},{"key":"ref_17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"776","DOI":"10.1136\/vr.150.25.776","article-title":"Epidemiology of viral haemorrhagic disease and myxomatosis in a free-living population of wild rabbits","volume":"150","author":"Calvete","year":"2002","journal-title":"Vet. Rec."},{"key":"ref_18","first-page":"212","article-title":"10 years of rabbit autopsy\u2013a review of frequent disease and mortality causes","volume":"135","author":"Hoop","year":"1993","journal-title":"Schweiz. Arch. Fur Tierheilkd."},{"key":"ref_19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"47","DOI":"10.1016\/0304-4017(87)90129-4","article-title":"The effect of the host\u2019s age on the pathology of Eimeria stiedai infection in rabbits","volume":"24","author":"Alunda","year":"1987","journal-title":"Vet. Parasitol."},{"key":"ref_20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"153","DOI":"10.14411\/fp.2009.019","article-title":"Coccidia of rabbit: A review","volume":"56","author":"Pakandl","year":"2013","journal-title":"Folia. Parasitol."},{"key":"ref_21","first-page":"343","article-title":"Environment-immunity interaction","volume":"Volume 24","author":"Davinson","year":"1996","journal-title":"Poultry Immunology Poultry Science Symposium Series. England"},{"key":"ref_22","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"423","DOI":"10.1128\/CMR.18.3.423-445.2005","article-title":"Zoonotic potential of the microsporidia","volume":"18","author":"Mathis","year":"2005","journal-title":"Clin. Microbiol. Rev."},{"key":"ref_23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"26","DOI":"10.1016\/j.vetpar.2018.09.009","article-title":"Encephalitozoonosis infection in a traditional rabbit farm with neurological manifestations","volume":"262","author":"Ozkan","year":"2018","journal-title":"Vet. Parasitol."},{"key":"ref_24","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"658","DOI":"10.2478\/s11686-019-00095-z","article-title":"Multimethodological Approach to Gastrointestinal Microsporidiosis in HIV-Infected Patients","volume":"64","author":"Etchart","year":"2019","journal-title":"Acta Parasitol."},{"key":"ref_25","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"69","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cvex.2017.08.002","article-title":"Clinical signs, diagnosis, and treatment of Encephalitozoon cuniculi infection in rabbits","volume":"21","author":"Fisher","year":"2018","journal-title":"Vet. Clin. N. Am. Exot. Anim. Pract."},{"key":"ref_26","first-page":"95","article-title":"The enteritis complex in domestic rabbits: A field study","volume":"34","author":"Percy","year":"1993","journal-title":"Can. Vet. J."},{"key":"ref_27","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"139","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ijppaw.2019.04.004","article-title":"Cysticercosis by Taenia pisiformis in Brown Hare (Lepus europaeus) in Northern Italy: Epidemiologic and pathologic features","volume":"9","author":"Stancampiano","year":"2019","journal-title":"In. J. Parasitol. Parasites Wildl."},{"key":"ref_28","first-page":"116","article-title":"Influence of host age and sex on nematode populations in the wild rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus L.)","volume":"56","author":"Boag","year":"1989","journal-title":"Proc. Helminthol. Soc. Wash."},{"key":"ref_29","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"901","DOI":"10.2307\/3282508","article-title":"The feeding behavior of Psoroptes spp. mites on rabbits and sheep","volume":"73","author":"Rafferty","year":"1987","journal-title":"J. Parasitol."},{"key":"ref_30","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"403","DOI":"10.1016\/j.tvjl.2010.11.022","article-title":"Strains of Staphylococcus aureus and pathology associated with chronic suppurative mastitis in rabbits","volume":"190","author":"Viana","year":"2011","journal-title":"Vet. J."},{"key":"ref_31","unstructured":"Quesenberry, K.E., and Carpenter, J.W. (2004). Disorders of the reproductive and urinary systems. Ferrets, Rabbits and Rodents: Clinical Medicine and Surgery, Saunders-Elsevier. [2nd ed.]."},{"key":"ref_32","first-page":"621","article-title":"Transmission of Pasteurella multocida in rabbits","volume":"37","author":"DiGiacomo","year":"1987","journal-title":"Lab. Anim. Sci."},{"key":"ref_33","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"57","DOI":"10.1016\/S0378-1135(02)00260-2","article-title":"Rabbit staphylococcosis: Difficult solutions for serious problems","volume":"91","author":"Hermans","year":"2003","journal-title":"Vet. Microbiol."},{"key":"ref_34","first-page":"1251","article-title":"Tularemia, plague, yersiniosis, and Tyzzer\u2019s disease in wild rodents and lagomorphs in Canada: A review","volume":"50","author":"Wobeser","year":"2009","journal-title":"Can. Vet. J."},{"key":"ref_35","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"958","DOI":"10.1177\/0300985810369902","article-title":"Tularemia of European brown hare (Lepus europaeus) a pathological, histopathological, and immunohistochemical study","volume":"47","author":"Gyuranecz","year":"2010","journal-title":"Vet. Pathol."},{"key":"ref_36","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"754","DOI":"10.3201\/eid2005.130654","article-title":"Molecular investigation of tularemia outbreaks, Spain, 1997\u20132008","volume":"20","author":"Johansson","year":"2014","journal-title":"Emerg. Infect. Dis."},{"key":"ref_37","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"259","DOI":"10.1016\/j.rvsc.2018.07.011","article-title":"Detection of mucoid enteropathy syndrome disease in rabbit farms in East China","volume":"119","author":"Hu","year":"2018","journal-title":"Res. Vet. Sci."},{"key":"ref_38","first-page":"757","article-title":"Microbial dysbiosis in rabbit mucoid enteropathy","volume":"37","author":"Lelkes","year":"1987","journal-title":"Lab. Anim. Sci."},{"key":"ref_39","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"809","DOI":"10.1084\/jem.65.6.809","article-title":"Toxemia of pregnancy in the rabbit. I. Clinical manifestations and pathology","volume":"65","author":"Greene","year":"1937","journal-title":"J. Exp. Med."},{"key":"ref_40","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3252","DOI":"10.2527\/jas.2011-4764","article-title":"Body weight and body condition of breeding rabbits in commercial units","volume":"90","author":"Rosell","year":"2012","journal-title":"J. Anim. Sci."},{"key":"ref_41","first-page":"212","article-title":"Soft tissue mineralization in rabbits fed a diet containing excess vitamin D","volume":"40","author":"Zimmerman","year":"1990","journal-title":"Lab. Anim. Sci."},{"key":"ref_42","first-page":"279","article-title":"Mecanismos moleculares en metaplasia osteocartilaginosa vascular: Revisi\u00f3n sistem\u00e1tica","volume":"73","author":"Salazar","year":"2016","journal-title":"Rev. Fac. Cienc. M\u00e9d. C\u00f3rdoba."},{"key":"ref_43","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2009","DOI":"10.3201\/eid1812.120341","article-title":"Variant rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus in young rabbits, Spain","volume":"18","author":"Dalton","year":"2012","journal-title":"Emerg. Infect. Dis."},{"key":"ref_44","first-page":"549","article-title":"Myxomatosis","volume":"34","author":"Bertagnoli","year":"2015","journal-title":"Rev. Sci. Tech."},{"key":"ref_45","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2204","DOI":"10.1111\/tbed.13289","article-title":"First outbreak of myxomatosis in Iberian hares (Lepus granatensis)","volume":"66","author":"Risalde","year":"2019","journal-title":"Transbound. Emerg. Dis."},{"key":"ref_46","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"14","DOI":"10.1186\/1297-9716-45-14","article-title":"Immunosuppression abrogates resistance of young rabbits to rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD)","volume":"45","author":"Marques","year":"2014","journal-title":"Vet. Res."},{"key":"ref_47","first-page":"66","article-title":"The veterinary importance of the toxic syndrome induced by ionophores","volume":"34","author":"Novilla","year":"1992","journal-title":"Vet. Hum. Toxicol."},{"key":"ref_48","first-page":"437","article-title":"Ionophore antibiotic (narasin) poisoning in rabbits","volume":"36","author":"Salles","year":"1994","journal-title":"Vet. Hum. Toxicol."},{"key":"ref_49","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"230","DOI":"10.1136\/vr.b4749","article-title":"Uterine disorders in 59 rabbits","volume":"166","author":"Walter","year":"2010","journal-title":"Vet. Rec."},{"key":"ref_50","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"71","DOI":"10.1016\/S0301-6226(02)00091-X","article-title":"Rabbit\u2019s productive: Reproductive and physiological performance traits as affected by heat stress: A review","volume":"78","author":"Marai","year":"2002","journal-title":"Livest. Prod. Sci."},{"key":"ref_51","first-page":"7","article-title":"Genetic disorders in domestic rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus)","volume":"4","author":"Botha","year":"2014","journal-title":"Rabbit. Genet."}],"container-title":["Animals"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2076-2615\/10\/1\/158\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,13]],"date-time":"2025-10-13T13:19:59Z","timestamp":1760361599000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2076-2615\/10\/1\/158"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2020,1,17]]},"references-count":51,"journal-issue":{"issue":"1","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2020,1]]}},"alternative-id":["ani10010158"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/ani10010158","relation":{},"ISSN":["2076-2615"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2076-2615","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2020,1,17]]}}}