title: Characterisation of a non-pathogenic and non-protective infectious rabbit lagovirus related to RHDV.
abstract: The existence of non-pathogenic RHDV strains was established when a non-lethal virus named rabbit calicivirus (RCV) was characterised in 1996 in Italy. Since then, different RNA sequences related to RHDV have been detected in apparently healthy domestic and wild rabbits, and recently a new lagovirus was identified in Australia. We have characterised from seropositive healthy domestic rabbits a non-lethal lagovirus that differs from RHDV in terms of pathogenicity, tissue tropism and capsid protein sequence. Phylogenetic analyses have revealed that it is close to the Ashington strain and to the RCV, but distinct. We proved experimentally that it is infectious but non-pathogenic and demonstrated that, contrary to the other described non-pathogenic lagoviruses, it induces antibodies that do not protect against RHDV. Our results indicate the existence of a gradient of cross-protection between circulating strains, from non-protective, partially protective to protective strains, and highlight the extent of diversity within the genus Lagovirus.
authors.affiliation: French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety (Anses), Laboratory for Studies and Research on Poultry, Pig and Fish Farming (LERAPP), UVIPAC, BP 53, F-22440 Ploufragan, France. ghislaine.legall-recule@anses.fr
authors.forename: Ghislaine
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Le Gall-Reculé
authors.forename: Françoise
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zwingelstein
authors.forename: Marie-Philippe
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Fages
authors.forename: Stéphane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bertagnoli
authors.forename: Jacqueline
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gelfi
authors.forename: Jacky
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Aubineau
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Roobrouck
authors.forename: Giuliana
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Botti
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lavazza
authors.forename: Stéphane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Marchandeau
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D002044:Bunyaviridae Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D002353:Carrier State / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D056738:Cross Protection; D017929:Hemorrhagic Disease Virus, Rabbit / Q000235:genetics; D029321:Lagovirus / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D011817:Rabbits; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D017385:Sequence Homology
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D012367:RNA, Viral