Expert Q&A for How to Treat Encephalitozoonosis in Dogs

A zoonosis is a disease that can be transmitted from an animal to people. Yes, E cuniculi is a zoonosis, however, rabbit cases are common but human disease is rare, so the risk is low. Always wash your hands after petting a rabbit and speak to your physician if you have a weak immune system and own a rabbit.

E cuniculi is recognized as a rabbit disease that can cause illness in people. However, human cases are rare. Those most at risk are people with weak immune systems such as the very young or elderly, or those on chemotherapy or with immunosuppressive diseases.

E cuniculi is a parasite, a single-celled microsporidian. Rabbits catch the infection by eating food contaminated by infected urine, or in rare cases by inhaling the parasite. It's also thought that the mother can pass E cuniculi onto her litter during pregnancy.

E cuniculi poses a risk to other rabbits, but the risk of them infecting dogs is not known. The very fact that this information is unknown indicates that few if any cases have occurred of rabbit to dog transmission, and therefore by de-fault, the risk is extremely low or negligible.