Can rabbits catch mononucleosis from people?

[lynne2809]

Does anybody know if rabbits can catch mononucleosis from people? I recently read an article that seemed to suggest that it was possible, but I’m not sure if that would be only under laboratory conditions or if a rabbit owner could pass mononucleosis to their rabbit if they had it and then cared for their rabbit. Has anybody ever had mononucleosis and been around their rabbit?

 

[lynne2809]

I know that rabbits can become infected from Herpes Simple Virus (HSV) from humans and it is very dangerous for them, so I was wondering if they could also contract Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV)?

 

[JBun]

A study done seems to suggest it's possible, though I haven't read of a pet rabbit being diagnosed with it. So maybe like with HSV , though it's possible for it to happen, it seems to be a rare occurrence.

 

[lynne2809]

A study done seems to suggest it's possible, though I haven't read of a pet rabbit being diagnosed with it. So maybe like with HSV , though it's possible for it to happen, it seems to be a rare occurrence.

That makes sense. So if a rabbit owner had mononucleosis, you believe that it would still be okay for the rabbit owner to interact with and care for their rabbit as usual as the risk is likely very low as the study was completed under laboratory conditions?

 

[JBun]

What was shown is that it is possible for rabbits to contract the virus, but not how likely it is to happen under normal conditions. So though it may not be likely, it's still possible for it to occur. I would take precautions like hand washing and no contact with the face(eg. no kisses), just to be safe. And if in doubt, it's always best to consult with your knowledgeable rabbit vet.

https://rabbit.org/vet-listings/