Benzimidazole Toxicity in Rabbits

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Affiliation: From Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, 200 Westboro Rd, North ... with the use of benzimidazoles in rabbits are not widely described.
Benzimidazole Toxicity in Rabbits

Jennifer Graham, DVM, Dipl ABVP (Avian/Exotic Companion Mammal), Dipl ACZM, Michael Garner, DVM, Dipl ACVP, and Drury Reavill, DVM, Dipl ABVP (Avian), Dipl ACVP Session #1200 Summary Style Manuscript Affiliation: From Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, 200 Westboro Rd, North Grafton, MA 01536, USA (Graham); Northwest ZooPath, Monroe, WA 98272, USA (Garner); and Zoo/Exotic Pathology Service, Greenview, CA 96037, USA (Reavill). Benzimidazole-associated toxicities have been reported in a variety of avian,1,2 reptile,3 elasmobranches,4 and mammalian species,5–7 including humans.8 Clinical signs of toxicity in most species are nonspecific and may include anorexia, lethargy, vomiting, fever, and ataxia. Radiomimetic lesions in the bone marrow and intestinal tract are classic histologic findings. Although benzimidazoles are commonly recommended to control signs associated with Encephalitozoon cuniculi infection in rabbits, reports of toxicity associated with the use of benzimidazoles in rabbits are not widely described. The authors describe clinical and histologic findings in rabbits associated with benzimidazole toxicity. Clinical signs of benzimidazole toxicity in rabbits include acute death, anorexia, lethargy, diarrhea, and hemorrhage. Histologic findings include generalized septicemia and disseminated intravascular coagulation, gastrointestinal erosion and crypt necrosis, and depletion of myeloid, erythroid, and megakaryocytic cell lines in the bone marrow.

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2012 Proceedings

57