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

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.

Prof. Dr. Brian Cooke
Guest Editor

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• viruses (MYXV, RHDV, RHDV2, rHEV)

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