Myxoma virus outbreak documented in Austria affecting hares

A deadly myxoma virus outbreak has been documented in Austria for the first time, affecting European hares. According to a study published in the journal ‘Transboundary Emerging Diseases’, the virus has spread to regions including Vienna, Lower Austria, and Burgenland.

Originally known as ‘rabbit plague’, the myxoma virus is a type of poxvirus that was historically used to control rabbit populations in Australia and France during the 1950s. While the virus is harmless to humans, it is transmitted by insects and has undergone mutations that allow it to adapt to new hosts.

A hare-adapted variant (ha-MYXV) was previously observed in Spain, leading to a significant decline in Iberian hare populations. The recent findings by Ulrike Auer from the Veterinary Medicine University of Vienna confirm that these mutated viruses are now impacting wild hare populations in Austria.