Molecular detection of myxoma virus in the environment of vaccinated rabbitries

Abstract

Myxoma virus (MYXV) is a linear double-stranded DNA virus that infects rabbits (Cameron et al., 1999). In European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus), MYXV causes a systemic, mostly lethal disease known as myxomatosis (Damon, 2013;Sanarelli, 1898). Two forms of the disease can be observed in rabbits: the nodular form, characterized by the onset of skin lesions, and the amyxomatous, the most prevalent one, in which signs are mainly respiratory (Lavazza & Capucci, 2014).At later stages, infected rabbits display swelling in their head, face and ears, as well as mucopurulent blepharoconjunctivitis and rhinitis, which is responsible for an occlusion of the nostrils that may lead to dyspnoea followed by death within a few weeks (Arthur &