First detection of myxomatosis in European brown hares (Lepus europaeus) in West-Hungary.

Abstract

The authors were the first to identify myxomatosis in brown hares (Lepus europaeus) in a hunting area in western Hungary. During the necropsy of brown hares, dermatitis accompanied by multiplex pustule formation and keratinisation disorders were observed primarily on the head, eyelids, ears and skin around the mouth. Subacute keratoconjunctivitis and catarrhal-purulent rhinitis were confirmed during the autopsy. In addition, multiplex, nodular pneumonia and hemorrhages in the intertubular space of the kidneys, as well as tubulonephrosis, were also observed. Hyperkeratosis and parakeratosis were seen in the epithelium, along with the appearance of myxoma cells and heterophil granulocyte infiltration. The lesions found in the hares, such as significant swelling of the eyelids and keratoconjunctivitis, significantly impaired the animals' orientation. The clinical picture observed by the authors was preceded by infection with Leporipoxvirus myxoma, a member of the Leporipoxvirus genus. This virus strain belonging to the same phylogenetic group as the classic Lausanne, Cornwall, Sussex, and Munich strains previously described in rabbits.