First cases of myxomatosis in Iberian hares (<i>Lepus granatensis</i>) in Portugal

Carvalho, Carina L.; Santos, Fábio A. Abade dos; Monteiro, M. T.; Carvalho, Paulo; Mendonça, Paula; Duarte, Margarida

doi:10.1136/vetreccr-2019-001044

Cited by 20 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…The emergence of myxomatosis in the Iberian hare in mid 2018, was caused by a recombinant myxoma virus (first designated as MYXV-Tol, and subsequently ha-MYXV considering its modified tropism towards hares), harbouring an insertion of about 2.8 kbp [ 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 ]. After this, health surveillance in the Iberian hare within the scope of Project +Coelho (investigating MYXV [ 17 ], RHDV2 [ 18 ] and LeHV-5 [ 19 ]) and in the wild rabbit (investigating MYXV and RHDV2 [ 18 ]) was extended to include screening for ha-MYXV as described by Dalton et al [ 15 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Detection of Recombinant Hare Myxoma Virus in Wild Rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus algirus)

Santos

Carvalho

Pinto

et al. 2020

Viruses

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In late 2018, an epidemic myxomatosis outbreak emerged on the Iberian Peninsula leading to high mortality in Iberian hare populations. A recombinant Myxoma virus (strains MYXV-Tol and ha-MYXV) was rapidly identified, harbouring a 2.8 kbp insertion containing evolved duplicates of M060L, M061L, M064L, and M065L genes from myxoma virus (MYXV) or other Poxviruses. Since 2017, 1616 rabbits and 125 hares were tested by a qPCR directed to M000.5L/R gene, conserved in MYXV and MYXV-Tol/ha-MYXV strains. A subset of the positive samples (20%) from both species was tested for the insert with MYXV being detected in rabbits and the recombinant MYXV in hares. Recently, three wild rabbits were found dead South of mainland Portugal, showing skin oedema and pulmonary lesions that tested positive for the 2.8 kbp insert. Sequencing analysis showed 100% similarity with the insert sequences described in Iberian hares from Spain. Viral particles were observed in the lungs and eyelids of rabbits by electron microscopy, and isolation in RK13 cells attested virus infectivity. Despite that the analysis of complete genomes may predict the recombinant MYXV strains’ ability to infect rabbit, routine analyses showed species segregation for the circulation of MYXV and recombinant MYXV in wild rabbit and in Iberian hares, respectively. This study demonstrates, however, that recombinant MYXV can effectively infect and cause myxomatosis in wild rabbits and domestic rabbits, raising serious concerns for the future of the Iberian wild leporids while emphasises the need for the continuous monitoring of MYXV and recombinant MYXV in both species.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Detection of Recombinant Hare Myxoma Virus in Wild Rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus algirus)

Santos

Carvalho

Pinto

et al. 2020

Viruses

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“…Only a few sporadic cases were reported in the European brown hare in Spain in 1953 [122], France in 1954 [123], and the United Kingdom in 2014 [124]. However, this scenario changed radically in 2018, when outbreaks of myxomatosis in Iberian hare occurred in Spain [125] and in Portugal [126] https://www. oie.int/wahis_2/public/ wahid.php/Reviewreport/Review?page_refer=Map FullEventReport&reportid=28628, causing an alarming wave of mortality in wild populations [68,126].…”

Section: Myxomatosismentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The typical myxomas observed in the ears, eyelid, or other areas of the skin in rabbits are rarely observed in hares (Figure 9). Blepharoconjunctivitis and mucopurulent eye discharge are a common feature [68,69,126].…”

Section: Myxomatosismentioning

confidence: 99%

The Health and Future of the Six Hare Species in Europe: A Closer Look at the Iberian Hare

Duarte¹,

Carvalho²,

Santos³

et al. 2021

Lagomorpha Characteristics

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Although there are around 40 species of hares in the world divided into three different genera (Lepus, Caprolagus, and Pronolagus), only six species inhabit Europe, all belonging to genus Lepus. The conservation status of these six species was recently revised in the International Conservation Union (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. Lepus castroviejoi and L. corsicanus were attributed the status of "vulnerable". The other four species, L. europaeus, L. timidus, L. capensis, and L. granatensis, were considered of "least concern" although a declining trend was recognized for the last two species' wild populations. Here we review the major threats to the hare species in Europe, with emphasis on infectious diseases. Furthermore, we present the sanitary data regarding the Iberian hare populations from Portugal, which were severely affected by the emergence of a naturally occurring recombinant myxoma virus (MYXV), first reported in mid-2018. The recent detection in 2019 of a leporid herpesvirus (LeHV-5), which pathogenicity appears to be exacerbated in MYXV-infected hares, brings additional concerns to the health and conservation of the Iberian hare.

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“…There are no studies evaluating the different causes of the decline of the Iberian hare populations, and the health status of this species is less well-known than that of rabbits. Recently, researchers became more interested in the Iberian hare after the emergence of myxomatosis [4,5] in 2018. Until then, myxomatosis only affected rabbits, and as reported, other species of hares [6][7][8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Versatile qPCR for Diagnosis of Leporid Gammaherpesvirus 5 Using Evagreen® or Taqman® Technologies

Santos

Carvalho

Peleteiro

et al. 2021

Viruses

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In late 2019, the first herpesvirus in the genus Lepus, named leporid gammaherpesvirus 5 (LeHV-5) was described. At the time, herpetic typical lesions were observed in hares infected by the myxoma virus, which is known to induce immunosuppression. Though the real impact of LeHV-5 is still poorly understood, since it affects reproduction, it poses an additional threat to the already fragile populations of Iberian hare, demanding prevalence investigations. In this article, we describe the first quantitative molecular method for LeHV-5 detection, using either Taqman or the EvaGreen systems. This method has excellent sensitivity and specificity, it is able to detect 2.1 copies of LeHV-5 DNA and was validated with an internal control targeting the 18S rRNA gene, allowing monitoring extraction and PCR amplification efficiencies.

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First cases of myxomatosis in Iberian hares (Lepus granatensis) in Portugal

Cited by 20 publications

References 24 publications

Detection of Recombinant Hare Myxoma Virus in Wild Rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus algirus)

Detection of Recombinant Hare Myxoma Virus in Wild Rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus algirus)

The Health and Future of the Six Hare Species in Europe: A Closer Look at the Iberian Hare

A Versatile qPCR for Diagnosis of Leporid Gammaherpesvirus 5 Using Evagreen® or Taqman® Technologies

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