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Viruses
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Monitoring New Viral Diseases in Wild Rabbit and Hares (Lagomorphs)
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Monitoring New Viral Diseases in Wild Rabbit and Hares (Lagomorphs)

A special issue of Viruses (ISSN 1999-4915). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Viruses".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2025) | Viewed by 6929

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Brian Cooke

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Foundation for Rabbit Free Australia, P.O. Box 145, Collinswood, SA 5081, Australia
Interests: rabbit ecology; population dynamics; epidemiology; conservation; disease management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Several lethal viral diseases have spread worldwide in domestic European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) in recent times. Currently, a new form of rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHDV2) is causing concern because it not only affects European rabbits, but also native hares and rabbits in Europe, North America, and South Africa. The risk to these native lagomorphs is unknown, and is especially worrying in the case of rare and threatened species. Likewise, rabbit Hepatitis E virus (rHEV) is problematic because of the uncertainty regarding the risk of transmission to humans. Nonetheless, the monitoring of these new diseases to detect the spread and impact on rabbits is usually limited. This is especially so in wild rabbits and hares, despite techniques for epidemiological studies in the field being well developed for other rabbit diseases caused by the myxoma virus, MYXV, and RHDV. Indeed, much can be learnt from earlier studies aimed at managing those viruses through developing appropriate vaccines for domestic rabbits or through assessing the effectiveness of those viruses when used for the biological control of rabbits in countries like Australia, where introduced European rabbits are regarded as invasive pests.  For this Special Issue, we invite the submission of original research papers and review articles to bring together information regarding the origin and spread of viruses that affect rabbits and can potentially spread among other lagomorph hosts, allowing us to learn more about virus–host specificity and assess the impact and evolution of this new disease in rabbits and hares.

Dr. Brian Cooke
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • viruses (MYXV, RHDV, RHDV2, rHEV)

  • new hosts
  • rabbit immune responses
  • epidemiology
  • population impacts
  • disease management

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 1606 KiB  
Article
A Standardised Method to Quantify the Infectious Titre of Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease Virus
by Tiffany W. O’Connor, Damian Collins, Andrew J. Read, Paul M. Hick and Peter D. Kirkland
Viruses 2025, 17(5), 609; https://doi.org/10.3390/v17050609 - 24 Apr 2025
Viewed by 209
Abstract
Quantifying the infectious titre of preparations containing rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV) is an essential virological technique during RHDV research. The infectious titre of an RHDV preparation is determined using a bioassay to identify the endpoint dilution at which 50% of rabbits become [...] Read more.
Quantifying the infectious titre of preparations containing rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV) is an essential virological technique during RHDV research. The infectious titre of an RHDV preparation is determined using a bioassay to identify the endpoint dilution at which 50% of rabbits become infected (RID50). Previous publications have briefly described the method for estimating the infectious titre of RHDV preparations by challenging rabbits with 10-fold serial dilutions. However, these descriptions lack the critical considerations for a standardised method to estimate RID50. These details are presented here, along with a comparison between the Reed–Muench, Dragstedt–Behrens, Spearman–Kärber, and probit regression methods for calculating the RID50. All the statistical approaches demonstrated a high level of agreement in calculating the RID50. To help assess the precision of the estimated infectious titre, the improved Spearman–Kärber and probit regression methods provide the 95% confidence intervals. The method outlined improves the accuracy of results when undertaking studies of pathogenicity, host resistance, and the production of vaccines against RHDV. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Monitoring New Viral Diseases in Wild Rabbit and Hares (Lagomorphs))
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16 pages, 6164 KiB  
Article
Diverse Anelloviruses Identified in Leporids from Arizona (USA)
by Matthew D. De Koch, Nicholas Sweeney, Jesse E. Taylor, Fletcher Lucas, Nichith K. Ratheesh, Stephanie K. Lamb, Janice Miller, Simona Kraberger and Arvind Varsani
Viruses 2025, 17(2), 280; https://doi.org/10.3390/v17020280 - 18 Feb 2025
Viewed by 562
Abstract
The communities of viruses studied in rabbits and hares (family Leporidae) have largely been those with clinical significance. Consequently, less is known broadly about other leporid viruses. Anelloviruses (family Anelloviridae) are likely commensal members of the single-stranded DNA virome in mammals. Here, [...] Read more.
The communities of viruses studied in rabbits and hares (family Leporidae) have largely been those with clinical significance. Consequently, less is known broadly about other leporid viruses. Anelloviruses (family Anelloviridae) are likely commensal members of the single-stranded DNA virome in mammals. Here, we employ a viral metagenomic approach to identify DNA viruses of leporids and the ticks feeding on them in Arizona, USA. We characterize five complete anellovirus genomes from four leporids belonging to the black-tailed jackrabbit (Lepus californicus, n = 3) and the desert cottontail (Sylvilagus audubonii, n = 1). All five anellovirus genomes share > 69% orf1 gene pairwise nucleotide identity with those found in Iberian hares and thus belong to the species Aleptorquevirus lepor1. Accordingly, we expand the known host range of this anellovirus species to include Iberian hares in Europe and black-tailed jackrabbit and desert cottontail in the USA. We also sequenced the complete mitochondrial genomes of the four leporid hosts (Sylvilagus audubonii, n = 1; Lepus californicus, n = 3) and two ticks (Dermacentor parumapertus, n = 2) found feeding on two black-tailed jackrabbits. These results expand the diversity of anelloviruses in leporids while giving insight into the host genetics of leporids and ticks in Arizona, USA. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Monitoring New Viral Diseases in Wild Rabbit and Hares (Lagomorphs))
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17 pages, 7325 KiB  
Article
Surveillance of Wildlife Viruses: Insights from South Australia’s Monitoring of Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease Virus (RHDV GI.1 and GI.2)
by David E. Peacock, Amy Iannella, Ron G. Sinclair and John Kovaliski
Viruses 2024, 16(10), 1553; https://doi.org/10.3390/v16101553 - 30 Sep 2024
Viewed by 1003
Abstract
Surveillance of wildlife virus impacts can be passive or active. Both approaches have their strengths and weaknesses, especially regarding cost and knowledge that can be gained. Monitoring of rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus (GI.1 and GI.2) in South Australia has utilised both strategies and [...] Read more.
Surveillance of wildlife virus impacts can be passive or active. Both approaches have their strengths and weaknesses, especially regarding cost and knowledge that can be gained. Monitoring of rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus (GI.1 and GI.2) in South Australia has utilised both strategies and their methods and gained insights are discussed. Active strategies to monitor the continuing impact of rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus 2 (GI.2) on susceptible lagomorphs in countries such as the USA, Mexico, South Africa, Spain, France and Portugal are encouraged to gain critical insights into the evolution, spread and impact of this virus. Furthermore, there are lessons here for the international monitoring of diseases in wildlife, particularly where there is a risk of them becoming zoonotic. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Monitoring New Viral Diseases in Wild Rabbit and Hares (Lagomorphs))
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11 pages, 2764 KiB  
Article
Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus in Mexico in 2020–2021: Risk Areas and Climatic Distribution
by Consuelo Lorenzo, Jesús A. Fernández, Nathalie S. Hernández-Quiroz, Alberto Lafón Terrazas and Gloria Tapia-Ramírez
Viruses 2024, 16(8), 1344; https://doi.org/10.3390/v16081344 - 22 Aug 2024
Viewed by 1063
Abstract
Mexico is home to 14 species of lagomorphs, 6 of which are endemic. Studies on diseases affecting native lagomorphs are scarce, and in most cases, the impact on their populations remains largely unknown. Rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV), especially the RHDV2 variant, causes [...] Read more.
Mexico is home to 14 species of lagomorphs, 6 of which are endemic. Studies on diseases affecting native lagomorphs are scarce, and in most cases, the impact on their populations remains largely unknown. Rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV), especially the RHDV2 variant, causes a serious and extremely contagious disease, resulting in high mortality rates and major declines in wild lagomorph populations. The objectives of this study were to identify disease hotspots and critical biodiversity regions in Mexico through the combined use of disease information and lagomorph distribution maps and to determine the areas of greatest concern. In total, 19 states of Mexico recorded RHDV2 from April 2020 to August 2021, and 12 of them reported the wild species Sylvilagus audubonii, Lepus californicus, and unidentified Leporidae species. The distribution of RHDV2 in Mexico can be closely predicted from climatic variables. RHDV2 hotspots are located in the central-southern area of the Mexican Highlands and the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, where the virus affects multiple species. This knowledge is essential for proposing specific actions to manage and preserve lagomorph populations at risk and address these issues as soon as possible. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Monitoring New Viral Diseases in Wild Rabbit and Hares (Lagomorphs))
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15 pages, 3013 KiB  
Article
Detections of Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus 2 (RHDV2) Following the 2020 Outbreak in Wild Lagomorphs across the Western United States
by Jourdan M. Ringenberg, Kelsey Weir, Timothy Linder and Julianna Lenoch
Viruses 2024, 16(7), 1106; https://doi.org/10.3390/v16071106 - 10 Jul 2024
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1770
Abstract
Rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus 2 (RHDV2) is a highly infectious, often fatal viral disease that affects both domestic and wild lagomorph species. In the United States (U.S.), the virus first was detected in wild lagomorph populations in the southwest in March 2020 and [...] Read more.
Rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus 2 (RHDV2) is a highly infectious, often fatal viral disease that affects both domestic and wild lagomorph species. In the United States (U.S.), the virus first was detected in wild lagomorph populations in the southwest in March 2020 and has continued to be detected in native North American lagomorph species over several years. The susceptibility of host species and exact mechanisms of environmental transmission across the U.S. landscape remain poorly understood. Our study aims to increase the understanding of RHDV2 in wild lagomorph populations by providing a history of detection. We present and summarize results from all RHDV2-suspect wild lagomorph morbidity and mortality samples submitted for diagnostic testing in the U.S. from March 2020 to March 2024. Samples were submitted from 916 wild lagomorphs across eight native North American species in 14 western states, of which 313 (34.2%) tested positive by RHDV2 RT-qPCR. Detections of RHDV2 in pygmy rabbits (Brachylagus idahoensis) and riparian brush rabbits (Sylvilagus bachmani riparius) suggest that the risk to threatened and endangered species warrants more attention. Continuing to investigate wild lagomorph morbidity and mortality events and tracking RHDV2 detections over time can help inform on disease epidemiology and wild lagomorph population trends. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Monitoring New Viral Diseases in Wild Rabbit and Hares (Lagomorphs))
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Review

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14 pages, 1505 KiB  
Review
Practical Suggestions for Assessing Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease Virus 2 Risk to Endangered Native Lagomorphs in North America and Southern Africa
by Brian Cooke
Viruses 2024, 16(8), 1299; https://doi.org/10.3390/v16081299 - 15 Aug 2024
Viewed by 1099
Abstract
A new form of the rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus, RHDV2, first observed in European rabbits, has spread widely among different species of hares in Europe, jackrabbits and cottontails in North America, and hares in southern Africa. However, only limited surveillance studies have been [...] Read more.
A new form of the rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus, RHDV2, first observed in European rabbits, has spread widely among different species of hares in Europe, jackrabbits and cottontails in North America, and hares in southern Africa. However, only limited surveillance studies have been undertaken so far. It is suggested that methods developed for controlling the disease in farmed rabbits in Europe and studying the efficacy of RHDV as a biological control agent in Australia could facilitate epidemiological research on those recently affected lagomorph species. This would enable the assessment of the risk of RHDV2 to native lagomorphs, including endangered species, and the determination of the main host species of RHDV2. Because RHDV2 has not spread equally through all lagomorph species, epidemiological studies could give insights into factors important for determining host susceptibility. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Monitoring New Viral Diseases in Wild Rabbit and Hares (Lagomorphs))
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