INFECTIOUS PAPILLOMATOSIS OF RABBITS : WITH A NOTE ON THE HISTOPATHOLOGY

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Virology
• Dermatology
• Oncology

Background:

• Papillomas have been observed in wild cottontail rabbits.
• The transmissibility and characteristics of the causative agent were previously unknown.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the clinical and pathological features of rabbit papillomatosis.
• To characterize the causative agent of rabbit papilloma.
• To investigate the immunological relationship of the rabbit papilloma virus to other known rabbit viruses.

Main Methods:

• Filtration studies using Berkefeld and Seitz filters.
• Glycerol storage and thermal inactivation experiments.
• Transmission studies in wild and domestic rabbits.
• Serological neutralization assays.

Main Results:

• The papilloma-producing agent is a filtrable virus, active after 30 minutes at 67°C but inactivated at 70°C.
• The virus shows a tropism for cutaneous epithelium and is transmissible between wild and domestic rabbits.
• Rabbits with experimental papillomas develop immunity and neutralizing antibodies.
• The virus is not transmissible in series through domestic rabbits and is immunologically distinct from infectious fibroma and myxoma viruses.

Conclusions:

• The causative agent of rabbit papillomatosis is a distinct filtrable virus with specific biological and immunological properties.
• The study highlights the potential for cross-species transmission between wild and domestic rabbit populations.
• Further research is needed to understand the significance of the limited transmissibility in domestic rabbits.