Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Refinement and Successful Implementation of a Scoring System for Myxomatosis in a Susceptible Rabbit () Model.
- Journal:
- Comparative medicine
- Year:
- 2018
- Authors:
- Wolfe, A Marissa et al.
- Affiliation:
- Medical University of South Carolina
- Species:
- rabbit
Plain-English summary
Myxomatosis is a serious disease caused by the myxoma virus, which only affects rabbits. In rabbits, this illness starts as a localized infection but quickly spreads, weakening their immune system and leading to severe health issues, including organ failure and death. Researchers have developed a new scoring system to help track the progression of the disease in affected rabbits, which is important for ensuring their comfort and minimizing suffering. This scoring system has been tested in case studies at two different research institutions. The goal is to improve the care of rabbits with myxomatosis by predicting when their condition may worsen, ultimately aiming to prevent unnecessary pain and distress.
Abstract
Myxoma virus is a member of Leporipoxviridae whose tropism is tightly restricted to lagomorphs. In susceptible Oryctolagus rabbits, the virus causes a highly lethal disease known as myxomatosis, which begins as a localized infection but rapidly disseminates throughout the animal, leading to immune compromise, mucosal infections, multiorgan failure, and death. In a research setting, myxoma infection of susceptible Oryctolagus cuniculus rabbits is used as a model of poxviral disease progression and represents one of only a few means to study the pathogenesis of this viral family in a native host species. However, the rapid progression of myxomatosis makes accurate prediction of humane endpoints critical to limiting animal pain and distress and preventing death as an endpoint. Here we present case studies of myxomatosis at 2 institutions and offer a refined scoring system to reliably track the course of disease in susceptible rabbits infected with myxoma virus.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30017020/