Some important diseases of some common laboratory animals

name or type of disease causative organism

Mice

Bacterial diseases

mouse pneumonitis Miyagawanella bronchopneumoniae

eperythrozoonosis Eperythrozoon coccoides

Mycoplasma infection Mycoplasma species

pus-producing lesions Pseudomonas aeruginosa

salmonellosis Salmonella

pseudotuberculosis Pasteurella pseudotuberculosis

rat-bite fever Streptobacillus moniliformis

Fungal disease

dermatophytoses (ringworm) Trichophyton species

Viral diseases

mouse pox (ectromelia) ectromelia virus

poliomyelitis of mice (Theiler disease) Theiler encephalomyelitis virus

EDIM (epizootic diarrhea of infant mice) EDIM virus

LIVIM (lethal intestinal virus of infant mice) LIVIM virus

Protozoal diseases

coccidiosis Eimeria falciformis

toxoplasmosis Toxoplasma gondii

nosematosis (encephalitozoonosis) Nosema cuniculi

Helminthic diseases

mouse tapeworm Hymenolepsis nana

rat tapeworm Hymenolepsis diminuta

cat tapeworm Taenia taeniaeformis

mouse pinworm Aspicularis tetraptera

pinworm Syphacia obvelata

liver threadworm Capillaria hepatica

Arthropod diseases

sucking louse Polyplax serratus

mite Psorergates simplex

Rats

Bacterial and fungal diseases

mycoplasma infection (associated with chronic pneumonia) Mycoplasma species

salmonellosis Salmonella species

infectious anemia Haemobartonella muris

pus-forming lesions Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Pasteurella pneumotropica

rat-bite fever Streptobacillus moniliformis

Diplococcus pneumoniae

leptospirosis (Weil disease) Leptospira species

Corynebacterium kutscheri

dermatophytoses (ringworm; fungus) Trichophyton

Viral diseases

pneumonitis rat virus (Kilham)

salivary-gland disease rabula virus

hemorrhagic encephalitis hemorrhagic encephalopathy virus (HER)

Protozoal diseases

coccidiosis Eimeria nieschulzi

Hepatozoon muris

toxoplasmosis Toxoplasma gondii

nosematosis (encephalitozoonosis) Nosema cuniculi

Helminthic diseases

mouse tapeworm Hymenolepsis nana

rat tapeworm Hymenolepsis diminuta

cat tapeworm Taenia taeniaeformis

bladder threadworm Trichosomoides crassicauda

liver threadworm Capillaria hepatica

cecal worm Heterakis spumosa

Arthropod diseases

sucking louse Polyplax spinulosa

ear mite Notoedres notoedres

hair mite Radifordia ensifera

Guinea pigs

Bacterial and fungal diseases

streptococcal infections (cervical abscesses and lymphadenitis) Streptococcus species

salmonellosis Salmonella species

bronchopneumonia Bordatella bronchiseptica

respiratory infections Klebsiella species

dermatophytoses (ringworm, fungus) Trichophyton species

Viral diseases

cytomegalic inclusion disease salivary-gland virus

lymphocytic choriomeningitis LCM virus

Protozoal diseases

coccidiosis Eimeria caviae

toxoplasmosis Toxoplasma gondii

Hamsters

cytomegalic inclusion disease salivary-gland virus

encephalomyocarditis picorna virus

wet tail (regional ileitis) virus, bacterium

salmonellosis Salmonella (bacterium)

mouse tapeworm Hymenolepsis nana (helminth)

Rabbits

pasteurellosis (snuffles) Pasteurella (bacterium)

spirochetosis (vent disease) Spirochaeta (bacterium)

mucoid enteritis bacterium

myxomatosis myxoma virus

rabbit pox virus

coccidiosis Eimeria species (protozoan)

ear mites Notoedres notoedres

nosematosis Nosema cuniculi