There are infections caused by viruses and by bacteria. The following diseases are caused by viruses: Listeriose, Leptospirose, Pseudo tuberculosis, Salmonella. All these diseases mentioned above have in common that they are passed on by contaminated food, hay or water. Diarrhea and constipation can alternate, weight decreases steadily, and each of these diseases can be sub active or chronic. There are effective antibiotics for each of these diseases, and each of them is treatable but with a low survival rate. Depending on how far the disease has progressed and how much the weight has decreased, the chances can be good or even very poor. If you have caught these diseases in the early stages survival rate is good. If they are untreated and have progressed to late stages the survival rate is poor.

The following diseases are caused by bacteria: Pasteurellose, Escher-Coli, Yersinia-enterocolitica. These diseases are mostly caused by a dirty, unsanitary environment and stress. As most of all animals that had been weakened before, suffer quickly from these diseases. Chinchillas that these diseases have indigestion and lose weight steadily. When the animal has Pasteurellose, it also has pneumonia that quickly leads to death.

Virus infections can be difficult to find the causes for, as the animals often die without certain striking features and the fewest are taken to an autopsy. There were herpes viruses found in dissected chinchillas; also changes in the lungs have been detected, but mostly it is not comprehensible why they had become ill. Death comes quickly and secondary infections are more likely to be found than the real cause.

 Food borne Illnesses

Some food borne diseases are caused by the presence of a toxin in the food that was produced by a microbe in the food. Other toxins and poisonous chemicals can cause food borne illness. Chins can become ill if a pesticide is inadvertently added to a food, or of naturally poisonous substances. Consuming contaminated foods or water causes Food borne disease. Many different disease-causing microbes, or pathogens, can contaminate foods, so there are many different food borne infections.

In addition, poisonous chemicals, or other harmful substances can cause food borne diseases if they are present in food. Most of these diseases are infections, caused by a variety of bacteria, viruses, and parasites that can be food borne. Other diseases are poisonings, caused by harmful toxins or chemicals that have contaminated the food. These different diseases have many different symptoms, so there is no one "syndrome" that is food borne illness. However, the microbe or toxin enters the body through the gastrointestinal tract, and often causes the first symptoms their, so abdominal cramps and diarrhea is common symptoms in many food borne diseases.

After they are swallowed, there is a delay, called the incubation period, before the symptoms of illness begin. This delay may range from hours to days, depending on the organism, and on how many of them were swallowed. During the incubation period, the microbes pass through the stomach into the intestine, attach to the cells lining the intestinal walls, and begin to multiply there. Some types of microbes stay in the intestine, some produce a toxin that is absorbed into the bloodstream, and some can directly invade the deeper body tissues. The symptoms produced depend greatly on the type of microbe. Numerous organisms cause similar symptoms, especially diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and nausea. There is so much overlap that it is rarely possible to say which microbe is likely to be causing a given illness unless laboratory tests are done to identify the microbe, or unless the illness is part of a recognized outbreak.

Seven commonly occurring food borne illnesses:

1. Staphylococcal Intoxication
2. Clostridium perfringens
3. Food Poisoning
4. Listeriosis Monocytogenes
5. Salmonella infection & E.coli
6. Shigella
7. Campylobacter

The onset of symptoms in staphylococcal food poisoning is usually rapid and in many cases acute, depending on individual susceptibility to the toxin, the amount of contaminated food eaten, the amount of toxin in the food ingested, and the general health of the chin. The most common symptoms are retching, abdominal cramping, and prostration. Not every chin infected with this infection will demonstrate all the symptoms associated with the illness. In more severe cases, headache, muscle cramping, and transient changes in blood pressure and pulse rate may occur. (Although it is impossible to tell if a chinchilla has a headake, cramps, ect. but these are common symptoms they suffer from these diseases.)

Staphylococci exist in air, dust, sewage, water, milk, and food or on food equipment, environmental surfaces, humans, and animals. Humans and animals are the primary reservoirs.

Ingesting enter toxins produced in food by some strains of S.aureus, usually because the food has not been kept cold enough causes intoxication.

Staphylococcus, any of the pathogenic bacteria, parasitic to humans, that belong to the genus Staphylococcus. The spherical bacterial cells (cocci) typically occur in irregular clusters. The term staphylococcus is also sometimes used loosely for the cluster arrangement itself and, broadly, for any bacteria with such a growth pattern. The pigments produced by staphylococci are the basis of the names given to the various strains, those with colors ranging from orange to yellow are designated S. aurous, white strains are known as S. albus.

Staphylococci cause abscesses, boils, and other infections of the skin, such as impetigo. They can also produce infection in any organ of the body (e.g., staphylococcal pneumonia of the lungs). The most common form of food poisoning is brought on by staphylococcus-contaminated food. The staphylococcus organisms also generate toxins and enzymes that can destroy both red and white blood cells.

Unlike some other types of bacteria, staphylococci are generally partly or wholly resistant to antibiotic action; this raises serious problems in the treatment and control of staphylococcus infections

  Clostridium Perfringens

Clostridium Perfringens food poisoning is a reasonably common intestinal intoxication caused by toxins produced by the Clostridium perfringens bacteria. Bacteria are present in the feces and the intestines of animals and sewage. A heat-resistant toxin can be produced by the bacteria, which can also cause a food borne illness.

Symptoms begin usually 24 hours after eating the contaminated food and consist of the sudden onset of acute abdominal pain followed by diarrhea and gas. The bacteria, Clostridium perfringens is anaerobic — it only grows where there is little or no oxygen. The bacteria can exist as a vegetative cell or in the dormant spore form. At temperatures between 70°F and 120°F the spores can become vegetative cells and produce the toxin.

The diagnosis is confirmed by a laboratory test on a fecal specimen. The illness occurs when chins swallow the bacteria or spores formed by them, which then multiply and produce toxin in the intestine, or from eating the toxin already, in the food. This is a non-contagious infection.

Food contaminated by soil or feces and then kept under conditions that allow the bacteria to multiply.

Generally no specific treatment is needed except for fluid replacement if necessary.

No resistance or immunity is gained against re-infection.

  Food Poising

Food poisoning, acute illness following the eating of foods contaminated by bacteria, bacterial toxins, natural poisons, or harmful chemical substances. The symptoms, in varying degree and combination, include abdominal pain,

Diarrhea and prostration; more serious cases can result in permanent disability or death.

  Listeria Monocytogenes

Chinchillas infected with Listeria monocytogenes are first noticed to be dull and inactive and to have poor appetites. They will eat only part of their ration. The owners usually suspect that the animals are affected with an intestinal impaction and so various purgatives and laxatives are frequently administered. In some cases sudden death occurs.

The affected animals lose in flesh and have droopy ears. The fecal pellets become small, hard, shiny and few in number. In few cases diarrhea has been reported instead of constipation. The condition may continue for a month or more during which time the animal grows progressively worse. The affected animals may eventually appear to be suffering some pain, and will move only when urged and huddle in a corner. When they do move, the movement is on all four feet instead of a normal hop. 3 or 4 days before death they refuse all other food, but a normal amount of water is consumed. They have respiratory problems and usually grit their teeth and slowly fade away.

The liver is the most commonly affected organ; also the intestines may be affected. Success rate for this disease is very poor.

Listeria is also contagious to other chins, humans & household pets.

To diagnose Listeria a blood agar culture is done. The transmission is from the oral/fecal route.

The treatment that is used is Bacteriostatic Drugs such as Chloramphenicol & Tetracycline but has high failure rates.

Penicillin & Erythromycin is the recommended treatment.

These antibiotics should be given intravenously in high doses: Ampicillin at a dosage of 200mg/kg a day in six divided doses or Penicillin at a dosage of 3000,000U/kg in six divided doses.

  Salmonella

Typhoid fever, caused by Salmonella typhi, is spread by oral/fecal route. Paratyphoid fever, caused by Salmonella paratyphi, is also spread in the feces of chin carriers. Outbreaks often occur where adequate hygiene, especially in food preparations, is not practiced. Bacteremia is characterized by the presence of Salmonella choleraesuis, S. typhimurium, or S. heidelberg in the blood. All three diseases are treated with the antibiotic Chloramphenicol.

The most common form of salmonellosis is food poisoning. This is caused by Salmonella, Typhimurium and other Salmonella species.

Outbreaks of salmonellosis food poisoning occasionally result from contaminated institutional or other mass-prepared food. Symptoms arise 6 to 72 hours after exposure and include severe diarrhea, fever, chills, and abdominal cramps.

  E. coli

E.coli is a bacterial pathogen that has a reservoir in cattle and other similar animals. Infection typically follows consumption of food or water that has been contaminated with microscopic amounts of feces. The illness it causes is often a severe and bloody diarrhea and painful abdominal cramps, without much fever. The symptoms include anemia, profuse bleeding, and kidney failure.

  Shigella

Shigella is spread by contaminated food or from principally the fecal-oral route. Symptoms include watery diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and bloody mucus in the stools.

Internal parasites that affect chinchillas are giardia, coccidia, cryptosporidium and tapeworms, hookworms and nematodes such as roundworms and pinworms. These parasites are all common in the GI tract, and in some fashion all of them decrease the absorption of nutrients in their body. In the adult animal this is not as much of a problem as it is in the young, growing animal; as the young animal might not be able to grow and develop in a completely healthy manner leaving it open to other problems later on. These problems might be some of the reasons that our chins come up with malocclusion and maybe even easily broken bones later on in life.

  Giardia

Giardia is a flagellate protozoan that has a whip like tail. It also has a sucker like mouth and attaches itself to the surface of intestinal mucosa. The method of contamination is fecal-oral; this is when dirty paws or feces gets into feed, and other chins eat the food.

Humans can catch the giardia by using unwashed hands to handle food, and pass it onto other animals by handling their food with unwashed hands. The eggs "oocysts" travel from the mouth, through the stomach and into the small intestine where they lodge and multiply. Chinchillas normally harbor giardia species in low numbers, which commonly causes no problems for the chinchilla. But, under stress, in the presence of a dirty environment, contaminated water supplies, or at times when the immune system is lowered in other illnesses or trauma the giardia can then cause disease. If you don't think your water supply can possibly be contaminated, remember the levels that are safe for a human are higher than levels of the same organism that is safe for something as small as a chinchilla.

The symptoms tend to be anything from increased appetite, to decreased activity, diarrhea or constipation and even collapse. Usually they maintain a good appetite. Their coat may be dull and dry. Their general body condition declines. The diarrhea tends to be large wet stools that shine with mucous and are very squashy and tend to be smeared on the house, perches, and other flat surfaces of the chinchilla cage. Giardia causes malabsorption in the intestinal tract.

Diagnosis is best done on a fresh fecal smear. Take your sick chinchilla to a vet, let him/her get a piece of feces dropped within the past 2 minutes in the office, place it onto a slide and squash it, and put a couple drops normal saline onto the slide. The slide should show the giardia easily.

The treatment used is metronidazol & flagyl but these drugs are not recommended. There is a better success rate using albendazole or fenbendazole.

  Coccidiosis

Coccidiosis are cystic in nature, in that they form walled cases around the protozoan, this makes them harder to kill. They also shed the egg and are transmitted by the fecal - oral route. In this case the cyst then invades the wall of the intestine host and suppresses a natural immune system response, getting into the lymph system, which makes it harder to eradicate and there divides asexually.

This can cause weight loss, increased appetite; severe diarrhea accompanied by dehydration and sometimes even some hidden bleeding.

The diagnosis is made with a fresh sample of feces and seen as a wet mount under the microscope. The vet should see unsporoated oocysts being shed in the feces. There are other tests that can be run if the vet has a high suspicion, but cannot see the egg under the microscope. In this case it is very important to have a new stool sample for the vet to see in order for the eggs/cysts to be seen.

Treatment is by oral medications, usually sulfonamides, and supportive care for the animal with high nutrition foods, and fluids. Sterilizing the cage and disposing of wooden houses and pieces of carpet is absolutely necessary. Coccidiosis tends to be a disease problem in areas of poor sanitation, so animals should be housed to prevent contamination of food and water by contaminated feces. If infected, steam cleaning or immersion in boiling water should disinfect food and water dishes, 5% ammonia solutions can also help disinfect the cage and dishes. Insect control is also essential as flies and cockroaches may serve as insect vectors of the oocysts.

  Cryptosporidia

Cryptosporidiosis is a member of the coccidia group, called Eimeria. It also inhabits the epithelium of the digestive system, and also causes lack of absorption, diarrhea and weight loss. The cryptosporidia is more of a parasite in that it causes lesions of the lining of the intestinal tract and can in some animals cause observable blood in the stools and in larger animals has been known to cause hemorrhage. This parasite is more infectious in that the eggs are immediately infectious when shed and will invade the border of the intestine and immediately multiply causing many small lesions or injuries. The animal needs to suppress a natural immune system response. If they are under stress or ill from another problem before it can take hold, but it takes less to cause problems. Cryptosporidia has become more common in municipal water supplies, and that bottled water does seem to give some protection against this organism.

Crowding a cage, and unsanitary conditions increase the risk to the animal. In this case, when the vet examines the fecal sample of your animal, the vet should kill the cyst in formalin before checking under the microscope, as this bug is more infective than other parasites. It can also infect you and your vet. Again, a fresh sample of stool examined under the microscope can give the vet a good idea of contamination. Other tests can be run, but this will give the veterinarian a good idea of what he is working with. This organism is harder to eradicate than the others, and most antibiotics used are used mainly to combat secondary infections. Your animal will probably be in severe dehydration, and parental fluids need to be given by the vet under those circumstances.

The cage, all cage materials, anything the animal has dropped feces onto, and its environment must be sterilized with a very strong disinfectant, bleach does not seem to kill this organism. All dishes should be boiled for at least 20 minutes or run through your dishwasher on sanitary cycle. Anything that is porous (carpeting, wooden shelves or houses, perches etc.) should be thrown away tied in plastic bags so not to contaminate the landfill.

When a chin is put on an antibiotic the antibiotic kills the bad bacteria along with good bacteria in their digestive tract. Antibiotics can disrupt the beneficial colonies of micro flora living in the intestine. If the disease causing bacteria increases in the intestine it can release serious toxins or foster a secondary infection.

Some experts suggest there is an over prescription of antibiotics and the routine use of antibiotics as growth enhances and to treat disease in livestock practices that encourages the development of drug-resistant bacterial variants.

We have to replace the good bacteria. How this is done is by using a Probiotic, acidophilus/ lactobacillus. Also 1/2 a teaspoon of live culture yogurt may be added as well. Yogurt and acidophilus should be given 4 to 6 hours apart or there may be a problem with the antibiotic working properly. Yogurt is a milk product and should never be given within 4 to 6 hours of an antibiotic or anti-parasite medication.

Sometimes antibiotic treatment will be administered with a break in between doses, usually a span of 3-5 days. If this is the case then the yogurt and the probiotic should be given when the chin is off the antibiotic on those 3-5 days.

The yogurt and the Probiotic should also be given for two weeks after treatment as well.

  Types of Antibiotics

The great number of diverse antibiotics currently available can be classified in different ways, e.g., by their chemical structure, their microbial origin, or their mode of action. Their effective range also frequently designates them. Aureomycin is a trade name for the derivative chlortetracycline, and Terramycin is a trade name for oxytetracycline.

Ciprofloxacin (Cipro) is another broad-spectrum antibiotic, effective in the treatment of mild infections of the urinary tract and sinuses. The medium-spectrum antibiotic bacitracin, the erythromycins, penicillin, and the cephalosporins are effective primarily against Gram-positive bacteria, although the streptomycin group is effective against some Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. Polymixins are narrow-spectrum antibiotics effective against only a few species of bacteria.