Bacteriological Studies on Mannheimia haemolytica Isolated from Rabbits Suffered from Wry Neck

Rabbit farming is a growing industry to satisfy the great demand for food, particularly in developing countries. In this study, out of 450 samples collected from 150 rabbit cases suffering from wry neck, 100 from clinically diseased rabbits and 50 freshly dead ones with a history of wry neck. All cases were subjected to clinical examination, bacterial culture and polymerase chain reaction. 30 samples out of 450 samples were positive for M. haemolytica with an incidence of 6.6% mixed with E.coli (serotypes O78, O26 and O2) and Staph aureus with incidence of 3.3% and 2.2% respectively were concomitantly isolated. In-vitro antimicrobial susceptibility testing showed a wide range of multidrug resistance against penicillins and fluoroquinolones whereas colistin sulphate was the most effective antibiotic followed by chloramphenicol, neomycin and oxytetracycline. The findings of this study revealed that multidrug resistant bacteria constitute a serious problem in commercial rabbiteries in Egypt. PCR technique was done on original samples and it appeared that conventional PCR technique more sensitive than the conventional microbiological technique (CMT). Effective control measures are required to mitigate the economic impact on the rabbit industry and to prevent possible public hazards.