Myxomatosis

This article is about the disease in rabbits. For the Radiohead song, see Hail to the Thief.

Myxoma virus
Myxoma virus (transmission electron microscope)
Virus classification Edit this classification
(unranked): Virus
Realm: Varidnaviria
Kingdom: Bamfordvirae
Phylum: Nucleocytoviricota
Class: Pokkesviricetes
Order: Chitovirales
Family: Poxviridae
Genus: Leporipoxvirus
Species:
Myxoma virus

Myxomatosis is a disease caused by Myxoma virus, a poxvirus in the genus Leporipoxvirus. The natural hosts are tapeti (Sylvilagus brasiliensis) in South and Central America, and brush rabbits (Sylvilagus bachmani) in North America. The myxoma virus causes only a mild disease in these species, but causes a severe and usually fatal disease in European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus), the species of rabbit commonly raised for companionship and as a food source.

Myxomatosis is an example of what occurs when a virus jumps from a species adapted to the virus to a naive host, and has been extensively studied for this reason.[1] The virus was intentionally introduced in Australia, France, and Chile in the 1950s to control wild European rabbit populations.[2]

  1. ^ Kerr, P; Liu, J; Cattadori, I; Ghedin, E; Read, A; Holmes, E (2015). "Myxoma Virus and the Leporipoxviruses: An Evolutionary Paradigm". Viruses. 7 (3): 1020–1061. doi:10.3390/v7031020. PMC 4379559. PMID 25757062.
  2. ^ Correa-Cuadros, JP; Flores-Benner, G; Muñoz-Rodríguez, MA; Briceño, C; Díaz, M; Strive, T; Vásquez, F; Jaksic, FM (2023). "History, control, epidemiology, ecology, and economy of the invasion of European rabbits in Chile: a comparison with Australia". Biological Invasions. 25 (2): 309–338. Bibcode:2023BiInv..25..309C. doi:10.1007/s10530-022-02915-2.