Myxoma virus and the Leporipoxviruses: an evolutionary paradigm

Viruses
P J KerrEdward C Holmes

Abstract

Myxoma virus (MYXV) is the type species of the Leporipoxviruses, a genus of Chordopoxvirinae, double stranded DNA viruses, whose members infect leporids and squirrels, inducing cutaneous fibromas from which virus is mechanically transmitted by biting arthropods. However, in the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), MYXV causes the lethal disease myxomatosis. The release of MYXV as a biological control for the wild European rabbit population in Australia, initiated one of the great experiments in evolution. The subsequent coevolution of MYXV and rabbits is a classic example of natural selection acting on virulence as a pathogen adapts to a novel host species. Slightly attenuated mutants of the progenitor virus were more readily transmitted by the mosquito vector because the infected rabbit survived longer, while highly attenuated viruses could be controlled by the rabbit immune response. As a consequence, moderately attenuated viruses came to dominate. This evolution of the virus was accompanied by selection for genetic resistance in the wild rabbit population, which may have created an ongoing co-evolutionary dynamic between resistance and virulence for efficient transmission. This natural experiment was repeated on a contin...Continue Reading

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Citations

Sep 25, 2015·Immunogenetics·Ana PinheiroPedro José Esteves
Apr 2, 2016·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Hannah M Burgess, Ian Mohr
Jul 5, 2016·Zoology : Analysis of Complex Systems, ZACS·Marieke E FeisK Mathias Wegner
Sep 11, 2016·Virus Genes·Chad SmithsonChris Upton
Dec 3, 2016·Journal of Virology·Christoph BraunClaus-Peter Czerny
Aug 16, 2017·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Peter J KerrAndrew F Read
Jul 12, 2019·Transboundary and Emerging Diseases·Ignacio García-BocanegraFélix Gómez-Guillamón
Jan 16, 2020·Journal of Clinical Medicine·Masmudur M Rahman, Grant McFadden
Aug 14, 2020·Transboundary and Emerging Diseases·Ignacio García-BocanegraRafael de la Haza
Oct 21, 2017·BMC Biology·Francois Balloux, Lucy van Dorp
May 24, 2018·Experimental & Molecular Medicine·Pedro J EstevesRose Mage
Apr 13, 2018·International Journal of Molecular Sciences·Wenyu ChengZhizhong Jing
Apr 4, 2019·The Journal of Biological Chemistry·Rekha R GargGrant McFadden
Oct 16, 2018·Frontiers in Microbiology·Kenneth A McCollMatthew J Neave
Aug 3, 2019·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Luc TardyCamille Bonneaud
Oct 9, 2020·Viruses·Fábio A Abade Dos SantosMargarida D Duarte
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Jul 12, 2020·Acta Tropica·Basma El HamzaouiPhilippe Parola
Nov 3, 2020·Virus Research·Fan Guo, Li Xing

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Methods Mentioned

BETA
electron microscopy
gene knock-out

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