THE EFFECT OF EXTERNAL TEMPERATURE ON THE COURSE OF INFECTIOUS MYXOMATOSIS OF RABBITS

Area of Science:

• Virology
• Immunology
• Environmental Health

Background:

• Myxoma virus causes a severe, often fatal, disease in rabbits.
• Environmental factors can influence disease progression and host response.
• Previous research has not extensively explored the impact of high temperatures on myxoma virus infection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effect of elevated ambient temperatures on the course of myxoma virus infection in rabbits.
• To determine if high temperatures can confer protection against myxoma virus challenge.

Main Methods:

• Rabbits, convalescent from vaccinia, were exposed to myxoma virus under varying high ambient temperatures.
• Infection progression and lesion development were monitored over 17 days.
• Virus challenge doses were varied to assess the degree of protection conferred by temperature.

Main Results:

• Increased ambient temperatures correlated with a significant reduction in myxoma infection severity.
• At the highest temperatures, myxoma virus infection was completely inhibited, with no lesions observed.
• Lower temperatures resulted in circumscribed lesions that regressed, leading to complete healing.

Conclusions:

• High environmental temperatures can profoundly alter the course of myxoma virus infection in rabbits, potentially suppressing the disease.
• The degree of temperature-dependent protection varied among individual rabbits.
• Further research is needed to fully understand the immune status of rabbits surviving temperature-modified myxoma infections.