title: Experimental transmission of rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV) from rabbit to wild mice (Mus spretus and Apodemus sylvaticus) under laboratory conditions.
abstract: Rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD) is a highly lethal and contagious viral disease that produces haemorrhagic lesions in liver and lungs of domestic and wild rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus). This study investigates the transmission of RHDV from infected rabbits to mice, based on the detection of viral RNA. Sixteen wild mice (Mus spretus, n=12 and Apodemus sylvaticus, n=4) were put in contact with nine rabbits inoculated with RHDV. No mice died following exposure to RHDV-infected rabbits or developed macroscopic haemorrhagic lesions. On the fourth day of contact, RHDV was detected by RT-PCR in the faeces of three of the four mice killed and in the livers of two of them. Three days after contact period with the inoculated rabbits (7th day of the experiment), RHDV was detected by RT-PCR in 100% (n=4) of the faeces and 50% (n=2) of the livers of euthanized animals. Ten days after contact period (14th day of the experiment), RHDV was not detected in the faeces or liver from any of the mice euthanized. However, 64days after contact period, RHDV was detected in the faeces of one mouse (1 of 4). We demonstrate cross-species transmission of RHDV-RNA from rabbit to rodent and the capability of RHDV-RNA to persist in mice for at least 10days after contact, and potentially up to two months, although viral replication within the rodent and/or infectivity was not evaluated in the present study.
authors.affiliation: Agroforestry Department, University of Extremadura, Avda. Virgen del Puerto 2, 10600 Plasencia, Cáceres, Spain. Electronic address: gregorio@unex.es.
authors.forename: Gregorio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rocha
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos (IREC, CSIC-UCLM-JCCM), Ronda de Toledo s/n, 13005 Ciudad Real, Spain; Louisiana State University, Museum of Natural Science, 119 Foster Hall, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA.
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Alda
authors.affiliation: Laboratorios Hipra S.A., La Selva, 135, 17170 Amer, Girona, Spain; Plaza del Mercado, 10, 17853 Tortella, Girona, Spain.
authors.forename: Albert
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pagés
authors.affiliation: Agroforestry Department, University of Extremadura, Avda. Virgen del Puerto 2, 10600 Plasencia, Cáceres, Spain.
authors.forename: Tomás
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Merchán
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017250:Caliciviridae Infections / Q000635:transmission* / Q000662:veterinary; D005243:Feces / Q000821:virology; D017929:Hemorrhagic Disease Virus, Rabbit / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D008099:Liver / Q000821:virology; D051379:Mice; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D011817:Rabbits; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral
keywords: Cross-species viral transmission; Oryctolagus cuniculus; RHD; RHDV; RT-PCR; Viral RNA