Rabbit haemorrhagic disease: Virus persistence and adaptation in Australia

34Citations
Citations of this article
46Readers
Mendeley users who have this article in their library.

This article is free to access.

Abstract

In Australia, the rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV) has been used since 1996 to reduce numbers of introduced European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) which have a devastating impact on the native Australian environment. RHDV causes regular, short disease outbreaks, but little is known about how the virus persists and survives between epidemics. We examined the initial spread of RHDV to show that even upon its initial spread, the virus circulated continuously on a regional scale rather than persisting at a local population level and that Australian rabbit populations are highly interconnected by virus-carrying flying vectors. Sequencing data obtained from a single rabbit population showed that the viruses that caused an epidemic each year seldom bore close genetic resemblance to those present in previous years. Together, these data suggest that RHDV survives in the Australian environment through its ability to spread amongst rabbit subpopulations. This is consistent with modelling results that indicated that in a large interconnected rabbit meta-population, RHDV should maintain high virulence, cause short, strong disease outbreaks but show low persistence in any given subpopulation. This new epidemiological framework is important for understanding virus-host co-evolution and future disease management options of pest species to secure Australia's remaining natural biodiversity.

Cite

CITATION STYLE

APA

Schwensow, N. I., Cooke, B., Kovaliski, J., Sinclair, R., Peacock, D., Fickel, J., & Sommer, S. (2014). Rabbit haemorrhagic disease: Virus persistence and adaptation in Australia. Evolutionary Applications, 7(9), 1056–1067. https://doi.org/10.1111/eva.12195

Register to see more suggestions

Mendeley helps you to discover research relevant for your work.

Already have an account?

Save time finding and organizing research with Mendeley

Sign up for free