The influence of ambient temperature on the course of myxomatosis in rabbits

Abstract

Ambient temperature profoundly affects the mortality rate and symptomatology in rabbits infected with an attenuated strain of myxoma virus. Simulated summer temperatures allowed at least 70% of infected rabbits to recover, whereas only 8% recovered when held at simulated winter temperatures. Similar fluctuating high temperatures did not reduce the lethality of rabbitpox or of a highly virulent strain of myxoma virus.On the chorio-allantoic membrane of developing chicken embryos the proliferation of myxoma virus was almost completely inhibited at 39° C., but the yield of rabbitpox virus was not reduced at this temperature.The serological response and viraemia in rabbits held under different conditions of ambient temperature were investigated. Low temperatures resulted in high titres of circulating virus and soluble antigens, whereas at high temperatures anti-body appeared early. Haemolysin production was not affected by ambient temperature.The widely variable response of rabbits infected with the attenuated strain of myxoma virus when held at mild temperatures indicates that there is a considerable variation in the innate resistance of the host to the invasion of the virus. This resistance is enhanced by high and reduced by low ambient temperatures, so that the host response is relatively uniform under these conditions. The precise nature of this innate resistance has not been elucidated.Now that attenuated strains of virus are common and many rabbits exhibit enhanced genetic resistance, seasonal temperatures will have an important influence on the mortality rate in epizootics of myxomatosis.It is a pleasure to acknowledge the skilled technical assistance of Mr A. Brand.