POXLESS MYXOMATOSIS - ISOLATION OF 3 STRA INS IN BELGIUM

Myxomatosis is a specific disease of the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) due to a virus belonging to the Leporipoxvirus genus, It ha s deliberately been introduced in France in 1952 acid is now endemic o n the whole continent. These last ten years the clinical signs of this disease have changed, the well-known nodular forms being gradually re placed by a respiratory or poxless myxomatosis, These new forms of the disease only produce respiratory difficulties without the typical ski n tumours, The authors have isolated three strains of myxoma virus fro m rabbits coming from three rabbitries in which many animals showed cl inical signs of conjonctivitis or snuffles but had no signs of nodular myxomatosis, Until now theses forms had only been seen in France.