Myxomatosis
| Myxoma virus | |
|---|---|
| Myxoma virus (transmission electron microscope) | |
| Virus 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]
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.