Unusual presentation of myxomatosis

MYXOMATOSIS is a severe disease of European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) and brown hares (Lepus europaeus).1 It is caused by infection with myxoma virus which originates from South and Central America and California, and causes cutaneous fibroma, but not systemic disease, in Sylvilagus-species rabbits. When myxomatosis first appeared in the UK in 1953, it was estimated to have killed 99.8 per cent of the wild rabbit population.2 Over subsequent decades, wild rabbits have developed a degree of immunity and less virulent strains of the virus have emerged. Nevertheless, outbreaks of the disease continue to occur throughout most of the UK. In April 2017, an apparently healthy wild rabbit was shot for human consumption on a farm in Cornwall. It was a young adult male in good body condition. When the carcase was being skinned, numerous slightly raised and clearly circumscribed, plaque-like lesions up to 2 cm in...

Source: Veterinary Record - September 28, 2017 Category: Veterinary Research Authors: Simpson, V., Everest, D. J., Dastjerdi, A., Davies, H., Hargreaves, J. Tags: Letters & amp; Notices Source Type: research