[Cutaneous asthenia (Ehlers-Danlos syndrome) in a domestic rabbit]

Dtsch Tierarztl Wochenschr. 1999 Dec;106(12):500-5.
[Article in German]

Abstract

Cutaneous asthenia is a connective tissue disease primarily of dogs and cats, resembling Ehlers-Danlos syndrome in man. This is a description of the disorder in a rabbit. The one-year-old female animal was presented because of two large gaping wounds of the skin. Clinical examination revealed a hyperextensible, thin, and fragile skin. The degree of skin extensibility was evaluated by means of a skin extensibility index (SEI: 19.2%) and compared with those of 4 healthy rabbits (SEI: 8.3%-14.3%). Clinical diagnosis was confirmed by histopathological examination of a skin biopsy revealing reduced packing density of collagen fibers. In addition a decreased number of hair follicles was observed. No conclusion could be drawn regarding the etiology, but existing literature strongly suggests a genetic cause (mostly autosomal dominant inheritance) in humans as well as in animals.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • English Abstract

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Animals, Domestic
  • Cats
  • Dogs
  • Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome / pathology
  • Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome / veterinary*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Rabbits
  • Skin / pathology*
  • Skin / ultrastructure
  • Skin Diseases / pathology
  • Skin Diseases / veterinary*