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Bosco-Lauth AM, Schueler A, Midthun E, Tyra H, Held A, Hood C, Quilici M, Erickson S, Glover S, Gustafson B, Anderson G. Vaccination against Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus 2 (RHDV2) Using a Baculovirus Recombinant Vaccine Provides Durable Immunity in Rabbits. Viruses 2024; 16:538. [PMID: 38675881 PMCID: PMC11054048 DOI: 10.3390/v16040538] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2024] [Revised: 03/18/2024] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus 2 (RHDV2) emerged in the United States in 2018 and has spread in both domestic and wild rabbits nationwide. The virus has a high mortality rate and can spread rapidly once introduced in a rabbit population. Vaccination against RHDV2 provides the best protection against disease and should be considered by all rabbit owners. Here, we investigate the duration of immunity provided by vaccination with the Medgene Platform conditionally licensed commercial vaccine 6 months following the initial series. Rabbits received either the vaccination or a placebo and were challenged with RHDV2 6 months later. All vaccinated rabbits survived challenge whereas 18/19 non-vaccinated controls succumbed to infection within 10 or fewer days post-challenge. These results demonstrate lasting immunity following vaccination with the Medgene RHDV2 vaccine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela M. Bosco-Lauth
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA (H.T.)
| | | | - Edward Midthun
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA (H.T.)
| | - Hailey Tyra
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA (H.T.)
| | - Amanda Held
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA (H.T.)
| | - Claire Hood
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA (H.T.)
| | - Marissa Quilici
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA (H.T.)
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Sun Z, An Q, Li Y, Gao X, Wang H. Epidemiological characterization and risk assessment of rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus 2 (RHDV2/b/GI.2) in the world. Vet Res 2024; 55:38. [PMID: 38532494 DOI: 10.1186/s13567-024-01286-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2023] [Accepted: 02/02/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024] Open
Abstract
A novel variant of rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus, designated RHDV2/b/GI.2, was first discovered in France in 2010. Subsequently, RHDV2 rapidly spread to Africa, North America, Australia, and Asia. RHDV2 outbreaks have resulted in significant economic losses in the global rabbit industry and disrupted the balance of natural ecosystems. Our study investigated the seasonal characteristics of RHDV2 outbreaks using seasonal indices. RHDV2 is prone to causing significant outbreaks within domestic and wild rabbit populations during the spring season and is more likely to induce outbreaks within wild rabbit populations during late autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. Furthermore, based on outbreak data for domestic and wild rabbits and environmental variables, our study established two MaxEnt models to explore the relationship between RHDV2 outbreaks and the environmental factors and conducted outbreak risk predictions for RHDV2 in global domestic and wild rabbit populations. Both models demonstrated good predictive performance, with AUC values of 0.960 and 0.974, respectively. Road density, isothermality, and population density were identified as important variables in the outbreak of RHDV2 in domestic rabbits, while road density, normalized difference vegetation index, and mean annual solar radiation were considered key variables in the outbreak of RHDV2 in wild rabbits. The environmental factors associated with RHDV2 outbreaks identified in our study and the outbreak risk prediction maps generated in our study will aid in the formulation of appropriate RHDV2 control measures to reduce the risk of morbidity in domestic and wild rabbits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhuo Sun
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China
- Key Laboratory of the Provincial Education Department of Heilongjiang for Common Animal Disease Prevention and Treatment, College of Veterinary Medicine, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China
| | - Qi An
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China
- Key Laboratory of the Provincial Education Department of Heilongjiang for Common Animal Disease Prevention and Treatment, College of Veterinary Medicine, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China
| | - Yuepeng Li
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China
- Key Laboratory of the Provincial Education Department of Heilongjiang for Common Animal Disease Prevention and Treatment, College of Veterinary Medicine, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China
| | - Xiang Gao
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China
- Key Laboratory of the Provincial Education Department of Heilongjiang for Common Animal Disease Prevention and Treatment, College of Veterinary Medicine, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China
| | - Hongbin Wang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China.
- Key Laboratory of the Provincial Education Department of Heilongjiang for Common Animal Disease Prevention and Treatment, College of Veterinary Medicine, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, China.
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Bosco-Lauth AM, Cominsky B, Porter S, Root JJ, Schueler A, Anderson G, VanderWal S, Benson A. A novel vaccine candidate against rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus 2 (RHDV2) confers protection in domestic rabbits. Am J Vet Res 2022; 83:ajvr.22.05.0095. [DOI: 10.2460/ajvr.22.05.0095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate efficacy of a novel vaccine against rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus 2 (RHDV2) in domestic rabbits.
ANIMALS
40 New Zealand White rabbits obtained from a commercial breeder.
PROCEDURES
Rabbits were vaccinated and held at the production facility for the duration of the vaccination phase and transferred to Colorado State University for challenge with RHDV2. Rabbits were challenged with oral suspensions containing infectious virus and monitored for clinical disease for up to 10 days. Rabbits that died or were euthanized following infection were necropsied, and livers were evaluated for viral RNA via RT-PCR.
RESULTS
None of the vaccinated animals (0/9) exhibited clinical disease or mortality following infection with RHDV2 while 9/13 (69%) of the control animals succumbed to lethal disease following infection.
CLINICAL RELEVANCE
The novel vaccine described herein provided complete protection against lethal infection following RHDV2 challenge. Outside of emergency use, there are currently no licensed vaccines against RHDV2 on the market in the United States; as such, this vaccine candidate would provide an option for control of this disease now that RHDV2 has become established in North America.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Bethany Cominsky
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO
| | - Stephanie Porter
- USDA, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, Fort Collins, CO
| | - J. Jeffrey Root
- USDA, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, Fort Collins, CO
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History, control, epidemiology, ecology, and economy of the invasion of European rabbits in Chile: a comparison with Australia. Biol Invasions 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-022-02915-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
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Byrne AW, Marnell F, Barrett D, Reid N, Hanna REB, McElroy MC, Casey M. Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease Virus 2 (RHDV2; GI.2) in Ireland Focusing on Wild Irish Hares (Lepus timidus hibernicus): An Overview of the First Outbreaks and Contextual Review. Pathogens 2022; 11:pathogens11030288. [PMID: 35335613 PMCID: PMC8953227 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11030288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2021] [Revised: 02/21/2022] [Accepted: 02/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus 2 (RHDV2; GI.2) is a pathogenic lagovirus that emerged in 2010, and which now has a global distribution. Outbreaks have been associated with local population declines in several lagomorph species, due to rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD)-associated mortality raising concerns for its potential negative impact on threatened or vulnerable wild populations. The Irish hare (Lepus timidus hibernicus) is endemic to Ireland, and is of conservation interest. The first cases of RHDV2 in Ireland were reported in domestic rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) in 2016, soon followed by the first known case in a wild rabbit also in 2016, from a population reported to be experiencing high fatalities. During summer 2019, outbreaks in wild rabbits were confirmed in several locations throughout Ireland. Six cases of RHDV2 in wild hares were confirmed between July and November 2019, at four locations. Overall, 27 cases in wildlife were confirmed in 2019 on the island of Ireland, with a predominantly southern distribution. Passive surveillance suggests that the Irish hare is susceptible to lethal RHDV2 infection, and that spillover infection to hares is geographically widespread in eastern areas of Ireland at least, but there is a paucity of data on epidemiology and population impacts. A literature review on RHD impact in closely related Lepus species suggests that intraspecific transmission, spillover transmission, and variable mortality occur in hares, but there is variability in reported resistance to severe disease and mortality amongst species. Several key questions on the impact of the pathogen in Irish hares remain. Surveillance activities throughout the island of Ireland will be important in understanding the spread of infection in this novel host.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew W. Byrne
- One-Health Scientific Support Unit, Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Agriculture House, D02 WK12 Dublin, Ireland;
- Correspondence: or
| | - Ferdia Marnell
- Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), D07 N7CV Dublin, Ireland;
| | - Damien Barrett
- One-Health Scientific Support Unit, Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Agriculture House, D02 WK12 Dublin, Ireland;
| | - Neil Reid
- Institute of Global Food Security (IGFS), School of Biological Sciences, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast BT9 5DL, UK;
| | - Robert E. B. Hanna
- Veterinary Science Division (VSD), Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, Stormont, Belfast BT4 3SD, UK;
| | - Máire C. McElroy
- Bacteriology and Parasitology Division, Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Agriculture House, Backweston, W23 VW2C Dublin, Ireland;
| | - Mícheál Casey
- Regional Veterinary Laboratories (RVL) Division, Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Agriculture House, Backweston, W23 VW2C Dublin, Ireland;
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