Occurence of the new variant of rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV2) in wild populations of rabbits in Southern Belgium ; Présence du nouveau variant de la maladie hémorragique virale du lapin (RHDV2) chez les lapins sauvages en Belgique

Rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD) is a highly infectious and fatal disease of the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), responsible for important economic losses in the rabbit industry. The aetiological agent of the disease is a RNA virus (RHDV, Lagovirus, Caliciviridae) first detected in China in 1984. Currently RHDV is endemic in most parts of Europe, Asia and North Africa. Phylogenetic analyses of RHDV strains have identified 3 distinct groups : the classic RHDV, the variant RHDVa and RHDV2. This latter has been detected in France for the first time in 2010 in domestic and wild rabbits (... Mehr ...