Detection of RHDVa on the Iberian Peninsula: isolation of an RHDVa strain from a Spanish rabbitry.
Rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV), genus Lagovirus, family Caliciviridae, causes a large number of deaths in wild and domestic adult European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus). The first documented outbreak dates from 1984 in China, but the virus rapidly dispersed worldwide. In 1997, an antigenic variant was detected in Italy and designated RHDVa. Despite causing symptoms similar to those caused by classic RHDV strains, marked antigenic and genetic differences exist. In some parts of Europe, RHDVa is replacing classic strains. Here, we report the presence of RHDVa on the Iberian Peninsula, where this variant was thought not to contribute to viral diversity.
CIBIO/UP, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos/Universidade do Porto, InBio, Laboratório Associado, Campus Agrário de Vairão, Rua Padre Armando Quintas, nr. 7, 4485-661, Vairão, Portugal, jabrantes@cibio.up.pt.
Joana
J
Abrantes
Ana M
AM
Lopes
Kevin P
KP
Dalton
Francisco
F
Parra
Pedro J
PJ
Esteves
D000818:Animals; D017250:Caliciviridae Infections / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D005838:Genotype; D017929:Hemorrhagic Disease Virus, Rabbit / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D011817:Rabbits; D012376:Rodent Diseases / Q000821:virology*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013030:Spain
D012367:RNA, Viral