I. Transmission route of myxomatosis in rabbits
Rabbit is the only susceptible animal for myxomatosis, other animals and humans rarely develop the disease. Rabbit myxomatosis is the most prone to rabbit myxomatosis in domestic rabbits and European hares, and the mortality rate of rabbits suffering from this disease exceeds 95%, so this disease is basically fatal to rabbits. American cottontail rabbits and field rabbits are the main hosts and virus carriers, but because of their relatively strong resistance, they usually only develop a few benign fibrinous tumor lesions in the intradermal infection site after they become ill. There are a large number of viruses in the tumor, and the mechanical transmission of insects such as mosquitoes is the main vector for the infection of the disease.
The contact between healthy rabbits and rabbits with myxomatosis or contact with feed, drinking water and utensils contaminated by sick rabbits can cause infection, but this contact transmission is not the main mode of transmission of myxomatosis in rabbits . Most of the naturally prevalent myxomatosis is caused by arthropods sucking the blood of sick rabbits, carrying the virus in the mouthparts, and then infecting the virus in the process of sucking the blood of other healthy rabbits, and then causing the healthy rabbits to become sick. Aedes mosquitoes, Culex mosquitoes, Anopheles mosquitoes, rabbit fleas, thorn flies, etc. may all be potential vectors of myxomatosis. According to relevant experiments, myxoma virus can survive in rabbit fleas for 105 days, and can survive winter in mosquitoes.
In the United States, Australia and continental Europe, mosquitoes are the main transmission vector of rabbit myxomavirus; in the United Kingdom, the main transmission vector of rabbit myxomavirus is rabbit fleas, followed by mosquitoes. Since the survival of rabbit fleas is less affected by seasonality, there is no apparent seasonality in UK rabbit myxoma virus.
2. Symptoms of myxomatosis in rabbits
According to the virus strain The susceptibility of strains and rabbit breeds is different, and the clinical symptoms of the diseased rabbits with myxomatosis are different. Two days after the meat rabbit is infected with myxomatosis virus, clinical symptoms will appear, first with symptoms of ocular conjunctivitis, then with extensive swelling of the head, edema in multiple parts such as the pinna, nose, mouth, and subjaw, showing the “lion’s head” “symptom. At the same time, the sick rabbits will also have symptoms such as difficulty breathing, shaking their heads, snorting their noses, and purring. In addition, other parts of the sick rabbits such as anus and external genitalia will also have similar swelling symptoms. And with the aggravation of the disease, a jelly-like tumor appeared under the skin of the edematous part of the rabbit, and mucous to purulent secretions would also flow out of both eyes. The temperature of the sick rabbits with more serious condition increased to 42 ℃. If the rabbit is infected with a less virulent strain, the symptoms will be milder, the tumor bulge will not be obvious, and the mortality rate will be lower.
Three, prevention and control measures of rabbit myxomatosis
rabbit myxoma The disease is highly contagious and has a high mortality rate. Once a rabbit suffers from this disease, it will easily cause devastating losses to the rabbit industry. According to relevant experiments, the lethality rate of rabbit myxomatosis in rabbits raised in China is 100%. At present, this disease has not occurred in China, but once it is introduced into China, it is likely to cause great harm and serious economic losses. Therefore, it is necessary to take precautions from the perspective of biosecurity. It is strictly forbidden to introduce breeding rabbits and rabbit products from countries where rabbit myxomatosis occurs. The introduced breeding rabbits are quarantined and observed to prevent the introduction of rabbit myxomatosis into China.
The above is my introduction to rabbit myxomatosis. I hope that all rabbit breeders and related staff in the rabbit industry must pay attention to the investigation when introducing foreign rabbits and strictly avoid them. Introduce rabbit myxomatosis to China.
