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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] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [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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Li Y, Du D, Zhou L, Su L, You C, Zhang H, Yu J, Xiao L, Huang J. First report of GI.1aP-GI.2 recombinants of rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus in domestic rabbits in China. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1188380. [PMID: 37520350 PMCID: PMC10382137 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1188380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 06/26/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus 2 (RHDV2 or GI.2) is a highly contagious agent leading to lethal disease in rabbits. It frequently recombines with other Lagovirus genus, generating epidemical variants with high pathogenicity. In this study, twenty-two liver samples tested positive for GI.2 VP60 gene, were collected in rabbit farms from several geographical regions in China. All GI.2 positive specimens were submitted for RT-PCR detection, nucleotide sequencing and phylogenetic analysis. In addition, suspected GI.2 recombinants were evaluated for virus virulence. The results showed that nine presumptive recombinants were identified by testing for RdRp-VP60 recombination. In these recombinants, four were selected to fully characterize the genome of novel GI.2 recombinant variants, which were described as GI.1aP-GI.2. The nucleotide sequence of these novel variants showed unique recombination pattern and phylogenetic features compared to currently prevalent GI.2 variants. Furthermore, this distinctive recombination of new variant SCNJ-2021 moderately enhanced the virulence of GI.2, even for rabbits vaccinated against parental GI.2. In conclusion, the novel GI.1aP-GI.2 recombinants were identified in rabbit industry in China for the first time, which expanded the knowledge on the phylodynamics and genomic diversity of GI.2 genotype. The rapid molecular evolution and varied pathogenicity of these virus recombinants highlight the urgent need for epidemiological surveillance and for future prevention of these neglected GI.2 variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Li
- College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Southwest Minzu University, Chengdu, China
| | - Deyan Du
- Huapai Biological Group, Chengdu, China
| | - Long Zhou
- College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Southwest Minzu University, Chengdu, China
| | - Liyin Su
- College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Southwest Minzu University, Chengdu, China
| | - Chengcheng You
- College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Southwest Minzu University, Chengdu, China
| | - Huai Zhang
- College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Southwest Minzu University, Chengdu, China
| | - Jifeng Yu
- Sichuan Animal Science Academy, Sichuan Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Chengdu, China
| | - Lu Xiao
- Sichuan Animal Science Academy, Sichuan Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Chengdu, China
| | - Jian Huang
- College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Southwest Minzu University, Chengdu, China
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3
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Hofmeister E, Griffin K, Ip H. Comparison of magnetic bead and rapid swab RNA extraction methods for detecting rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus 2 in rabbit liver samples. Biotechniques 2023; 74:156-157. [PMID: 37161262 DOI: 10.2144/btn-2022-0022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023] Open
Abstract
We compared a bead RNA extraction method with a one-tube method that required only a heat block and ice. RNA was first extracted from liver samples from nine rabbits dying from rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus 2 (RHDV2) using magnetic beads, and RT-PCR was used to detect RHDV2 sequence. Following freezing, RNA was extracted a second time using the SwiftX™ Swabs Viral RNA Extraction Reagent. RHDV2 was detected in all nine samples. Cycle threshold values were higher in the RT-PCR following SwiftX extraction (mean: 3.79), indicating that the second extraction method resulted in approximately a 1 log10 reduction in sensitivity. A second freeze-thaw for the samples and less tissue extracted using SwiftX may have contributed additionally to the loss in sensitivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erik Hofmeister
- USGS National Wildlife Health Center, 6006 Schroeder Road, Madison, WI 53711, USA
| | - Kathryn Griffin
- USGS National Wildlife Health Center, 6006 Schroeder Road, Madison, WI 53711, USA
| | - Hon Ip
- USGS National Wildlife Health Center, 6006 Schroeder Road, Madison, WI 53711, USA
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Abstract
In September 2019, high mortality in commercial rabbits was reported in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. Rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus 2 phylogenetically related to isolates from 2015–2017 outbreaks in the Netherlands was confirmed as the causative agent. The virus has not yet been detected in native rabbits in Ghana.
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Lankton JS, Knowles S, Keller S, Shearn-Bochsler VI, Ip HS. Pathology of Lagovirus europaeus GI.2/RHDV2/b ( Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus 2) in Native North American Lagomorphs. J Wildl Dis 2021; 57:694-700. [PMID: 33961043 DOI: 10.7589/JWD-D-20-00207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2020] [Accepted: 02/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Rabbit hemorrhagic disease, a notifiable foreign animal disease in the US, was reported for the first time in wild native North American lagomorphs in April 2020 in the southwestern US. Affected species included the desert cottontail (Sylvilagus audubonii), mountain cottontail (Sylvilagus nuttallii), black-tailed jackrabbit (Lepus californicus), and antelope jackrabbit (Lepus alleni). Desert cottontails (n=7) and black-tailed jackrabbits (n=7) collected in April and May 2020 were necropsied at the US Geological Survey National Wildlife Health Center and tested positive for Lagovirus europaeus GI.2, also known as rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus 2 (GI.2/RHDV2/b), by real-time PCR at the US Department of Agriculture's Foreign Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory. Gross and microscopic lesions were similar to those reported in European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) and other hare (Lepus) species with GI.2/RHDV2/b infection; they included epistaxis (12/13; 92%); massive hepatocellular dissociation (14/14; 100%) and necrosis or apoptosis (11/11; 100%); pulmonary congestion (12/12; 100%), edema (12/13; 92%), and hemorrhage (11/12; 92%); and acute renal tubular injury (3/8; 38%). As in previous reports, massive hepatocellular dissociation and necrosis or apoptosis was the most diagnostically distinct finding. As North American Sylvilagus and Lepus species appear to be susceptible to fatal GI.2/RHDV2/b infection, additional work is needed to understand the host range, pathogenicity, and potential population effects of GI.2/RHDV2/b in North America.
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Williams LBA, Edmonds SE, Kerr SR, Broughton-Neiswanger LE, Snekvik KR. Clinical and pathologic findings in an outbreak in rabbits of natural infection by rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus 2 in the northwestern United States. J Vet Diagn Invest 2021; 33:732-735. [PMID: 34092143 DOI: 10.1177/10406387211022466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus 2 (RHDV2) causes an often-fatal disease of rabbits that has resulted in outbreaks in rabbitries in Europe, Africa, Australia, and Asia. RHD has historically been characterized as a foreign animal disease in the United States. In July 2019, RHDV2 was detected in rabbits on Orcas Island along the northwestern coast of Washington (WA) State following reports of deaths in multiple feral and domestic rabbits. We document and highlight here the unique clinical presentation and gross and histologic lesions observed in this recent WA outbreak. Affected rabbits died without premonitory signs or displayed hyporexia and/or lethargy for ≤1 d prior to death. The most consistent pathologic finding was random, multifocal hepatocellular necrosis, often with concurrent multifocal-to-diffuse splenic necrosis. The lack of significant clinical signs in conjunction with the random distribution of hepatic necrosis in the WA outbreak contrasts with previous reports of RHDV2 disease progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura B A Williams
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology & Pathology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA.,Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
| | - Steven E Edmonds
- Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
| | - Susan R Kerr
- Washington State Department of Agriculture, Animal Health Program Education and Outreach, Olympia, WA, USA
| | | | - Kevin R Snekvik
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology & Pathology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA.,Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA
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Ambagala A, Schwantje H, Laurendeau S, Snyman H, Joseph T, Pickering B, Hooper-McGrevy K, Babiuk S, Moffat E, Lamboo L, Lung O, Goolia M, Pinette M, Embury-Hyatt C. Incursions of rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus 2 in Canada-Clinical, molecular and epidemiological investigation. Transbound Emerg Dis 2021; 68:1711-1720. [PMID: 33915034 DOI: 10.1111/tbed.14128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2020] [Revised: 03/24/2021] [Accepted: 04/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus 2 (RHDV2) is a newly emerging Lagovirus belonging to the family Caliciviridae. After its first discovery in 2010 in France, this highly pathogenic virus rapidly spread to neighbouring countries and has become the dominant strain, replacing the classical RHDV strains. RHDV2 was first reported in North America in 2016 in Mont-Joli, Quebec, Canada, and it was reported again in 2018 and 2019 on Vancouver Island and the southwest mainland of British Columbia (BC). The whole genome sequence of the RHDV2 Quebec isolate resembled the 2011 RHDV2-N11 isolate from Navarra, Spain with 97% identity at the nucleotide level. The epidemiological investigation related to this outbreak involved three hobby farms and one personal residence in Quebec. In February 2018, high mortality was reported in a large colony of feral rabbits on the Vancouver Island University Campus, Nanaimo, BC. The virus identified showed only 93% identity to the Quebec RHDV2 isolate at the nucleotide level. Additional cases of RHDV2 on Vancouver Island and on the BC mainland affecting feral and captive domestic, and commercial rabbits were reported subsequently. Vaccination was recommended to control the outbreak and an inactivated bivalent vaccine was made available to the private veterinary practices. In June 2019, an isolated RHDV2 outbreak was reported in pet rabbits in an apartment building in Vancouver, BC. This virus showed only 97% identity to the RHDV2 isolates responsible for the BC outbreak in 2018 at the nucleotide level, suggesting that it was an independent incursion. The outbreak in BC killed a large number of feral European rabbits; however, there were no confirmed cases of RHD in native rabbit species in BC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aruna Ambagala
- National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.,Department of Animal Science, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.,Comparative Biology and Experimental Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Helen Schwantje
- British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development, Nanaimo, BC, Canada
| | - Sonja Laurendeau
- Animal Health-Traceability and Terrestrial Animal Disease Control, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Heindrich Snyman
- Animal Health Centre, Ministry of Agriculture, Abbotsford, BC, Canada
| | - Tomy Joseph
- Animal Health Centre, Ministry of Agriculture, Abbotsford, BC, Canada
| | - Bradley Pickering
- National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Kathleen Hooper-McGrevy
- National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Shawn Babiuk
- National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Estella Moffat
- National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Lindsey Lamboo
- National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Oliver Lung
- National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Melissa Goolia
- National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Mathieu Pinette
- National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Carissa Embury-Hyatt
- National Centre for Foreign Animal Disease, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
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Asin J, Nyaoke AC, Moore JD, Gonzalez-Astudillo V, Clifford DL, Lantz EL, Mikolon AB, Dodd KA, Crossley B, Uzal FA. Outbreak of rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus 2 in the southwestern United States: first detections in southern California. J Vet Diagn Invest 2021; 33:728-731. [PMID: 33797311 DOI: 10.1177/10406387211006353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
An outbreak of rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus 2 (RHDV2)-associated disease occurred in the southwestern United States following its first detection in New Mexico in March 2020. The disease spread throughout several states and was diagnosed for the first time in California on May 11, 2020, in a black-tailed jackrabbit (Lepus californicus). The following day, the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) issued an order banning the entrance into California of several lagomorph species and their products from any state in which the disease had been detected in the last 12 mo. RHDV2 is a threat to wild lagomorph species in California, including the endangered riparian brush rabbit (Sylvilagus bachmani riparius). Therefore, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) started tracking any mortality event in wild lagomorph populations. As of August 9, 2020, RHDV2 had been detected in wild and domestic lagomorphs of several counties in southern California that were submitted to the California Animal Health and Food Safety laboratory system by the CDFA or the CDFW. These positive cases included 2 additional black-tailed jackrabbits and 3 desert cottontail rabbits (Sylvilagus audubonii). In addition, the infection spilled over to domestic populations, whereby it was confirmed on July 10, 2020, in a domestic rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus).
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier Asin
- California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory System, San Bernardino, USA
| | - Akinyi C Nyaoke
- California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory System, San Bernardino, USA
| | - Janet D Moore
- California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory System, San Bernardino, USA
| | | | - Deana L Clifford
- Branches, and Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA.,California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Sacramento, CA
| | - Emma L Lantz
- California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Sacramento, CA
| | | | - Kimberly A Dodd
- USDA-APHIS National Veterinary Services Laboratories, Foreign Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, Plum Island, NY
| | | | - Francisco A Uzal
- California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory System, San Bernardino, USA
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