Guinea Pig and Chinchilla Diseases

How is Bordetella bronchiseptica transmitted?

Aerosol

Fomites

Direct contact

What carries Bordetella bronchiseptica?

Human, rats, dogs, cats, pigs, primates, rabbits

What species is very susceptible to B. bronchiseptica?

Guinea pigs

What is an asymptomatic carrier B. bronchiseptica and a common cause of the disease in guinea pigs?

Rabbits

What are the C/S of B. bronchiseptica in guinea pigs?

Young animals with sneezing, nasal discharge, anorexia, conjunctivitis

What are the lesions of B. bronchiseptica?

Mucopurulent rhinitis with suppurative bronchopneumonia and otitis media

How do you diagnose B. bronchiseptica?

Necropsy and culture

How do you prevent B. bronchiseptica?

Do not house with rabbits

Minimize stress

Purchase from negative colonies

Screen colonies routinely

How is Strep. pneumonia transmitted?

Direct contact and aersol

What are predisposing factors to Strep pneumonia in guinea pigs?

Stressful events basically, lots of options

What are the C/S of S. pneumonia?

Nasal discharge, conjunctivitis, otitis media, death very similar to B. bronchiseptica

What is the pathology of S. pneumoniae?

Fibrinopurulent bronchopneumonia

Pericarditis

Peritonitis

How do you diagnose S. pneumoniae?

Paired cocci on impression smears

Culture

Gross and histologic lesions

What causes lumps or cervical suppurative lymphandenitis?

Strep. zooepidemicus

How is lumps transmitted?

Bite wounds, direct contact, aerosol

What are C/S of lumps?

Enlarged cervical lymph nodes

What is the pathology of Strep zooepidemicus?

Abscessed cervical lymph nodes

Suppurative bronchopneumonia or otitis

How do you diagnose strep zoo?

Gross lesions

Culture

What is bumblefoot?

Pododermatitis

What bacteria causes pododermatiits?

S. aureus

What are predisposing factors to pododermatitis?

Wire bottom cages

Obesity

Lack of sanitation

This causes ischemia on the feet

What are C/S of pododermatitis?

Swollen painful feet

What is the pathology of pododermatitis?

Granulomatous cellulitis of feet

How do you diagnose pododermatitis?

Gross lesions, C/S

How do you control pododermatitis?

Change husbandry

What causes hemorrhagic typhlitis?

Overgrowth of C. perfirngens, difficile, spiriforme, histolytica, and coliforms due to decrease in normal intestinal flora

What is the main fungus in guinea pigs?

Trichophyton mentagrophytes

How is Trichophyton mentagrophytes transmitted?

Direct contact

What are the C/S of Trichophyton mentagrophytes?

Young, aged, pregnant, and stressed animals with irregular alopecia with crusts that moves from head to rump

How do you diagnose dermatophytosis?

C/S, DTM culture, histopathology

What viruses are important in guinea pigs?

None

What causes inclusion body conjunctivitis?

Chlamydophila caviae

How is inclusion body conjunctivitis transmitted?

Direct contact

What are the C/S of inclusion body conjunctivitis?

Conjunctivitis, rhinitis, genital tract infections

What are the gross lesions of Chlamydophila caviae (inclusion body conjunctivitis)?

Red conjunctiva with serous to purulent exudate

What is Gliricola porcella?

Biting louse in guinea pigs that is common

Causes pruritis, excoriations, hair loss

How do you diagnose louse?

Visualize on hair shaft

What is Gyropus ovalis?

Biting louse that is less common in guinea pigs

dx with visualization on hair shaft

C/S are the same as G. porcelli

What is Chirodiscoides caviae?

Fur mite on hair shaft that is non-pruritic on posterior trunk

What should you include in your mite infestation cases?

Vit C supplements (always good to add)

Why do you need to trim guinea pig nails?

Commonly get overgrown and can cause trauma while scratching

What does Cryptosporidium wrairi cause in guinea pigs?

Diarrhea and poor growth in wealings and juveniles

How do you diagnose Crypto?

Mucosal scrapings, histo, PCR

What are the lesions of Crypto?

Acute: hyperplasia, edema, organisms

Chronic: atrophy and flattening of villi

What can cause periarticular hemorrhages?

Hypovitaminosis C

What are the forms of pregnancy toemia?

Metabolic

Circulatory

What is the metabolic form of ketosis?

Anorexia common in obese males with anorexia due to stress or illness or pregnant females

Decreased carb intake causes them to mobilize fat/fatty liver-ketosis and hypoglycemia

What are C/S of ketosis?

Anorexia, dehydration, recumbency, convulsions, death

What is the pathology of ketosis?

Fatty liver

How do you prevent ketosis?

Avoid obesity

Minimize stress and change

Well balanced diet

How do you treat ketosis?

Supportive care

What is the circulatory form of pregnancy toxemia?

Compression of caudal aorta by large uterus causing uteroplacental ischemia with placental necrosis and hemorrhage until death

How do you diagnose preeclampsia?

Gross findings

What is the main disease in chinchillas?

Fur ring causing paraphimosis. Seen if overgrooming in genital area

Does not require breeding

What are the viruses that infect chinchillas?

Human herpes virus 1

What are the C/S of human herpes virus 1 in chinchillas?

Conjunctivitis, rhinitis, neuro signs

How do you diagnose herpes in chinchillas?

Intranuclear inclusions on histopath of brain

What infectious disease do chinchillas get?

Giaridia, crypto, bacterial dysbiosis same as guinea pig

If you see HEMORRAHAGIC Typhlitis what should you think?

perfringes or spiriforme

What is on conjunctival smear of Chlamydophila caviae?

Sloughed epithelial cells with intracellular organisms and scattered inflammatory cells

How do you diagnose Chlamydophila caviae?

Conjunctival smear or PCR

T/F Chlamydophila caviae is self limiting?

True

What is the pruritic (mange) mite?

Trixacarus caviae

What does Trixacarus caviae do?

Burrows into stratum corneum so pruritic

Can cause transient papulovesicular lesions in humans

How do you diagnose Trixacarus caviae?

Skin scraping

What does Eimera caviae cause?

Diarrhea in weanlings

Diagnose with mucosal scrape, fecal float, or histo

What are the coccidia that infect guinea pigs?

Eimera caviae

Klossiella cobayae

What does Klossiella cobayae cause?

Renal coccidiosis but no C/S