Myxomatosis in Australia and Europe: a model for emerging infectious diseases
Abstract
Myxoma virus is a poxvirus naturally found in two American leporid (rabbit) species (Sylvilagus brasiliensis and Sylvilagus bachmani) in which it causes an innocuous localised cutaneous fibroma. However, in European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) the same virus causes the lethal disseminated disease myxomatosis. The introduction of myxoma virus into the European rabbit population in Australia in 1950 initiated the best known example of what happens when a novel pathogen jumps into a completely naïve new mammalian host species. The short generation time of the rabbit and their vast numbers in Australia meant evolution could be studied in real time. The carefully documented emergence of attenuated strains of virus that were more effectively transmitted by the mosquito vector and the subsequent selection of rabbits with genetic resistance to myxomatosis is the paradigm for pathogen virulence and host-pathogen coevolution. This natural experiment was repeated with the release of a separate strain of myxoma virus in France in 1952. The subsequent spread of the virus throughout Europe and its coevolution with the rabbit essentially paralleled what occurred in Australia. Detailed molecular studies on myxoma virus have dissected the r...Continue Reading
References
The Florey lecture, 1983. Biological control, as exemplified by smallpox eradication and myxomatosis
Citations
Related Concepts
Related Feeds
Apoptosis
Apoptosis is a specific process that leads to programmed cell death through the activation of an evolutionary conserved intracellular pathway leading to pathognomic cellular changes distinct from cellular necrosis
Cancer Biology: Molecular Imaging
Molecular imaging enables noninvasive imaging of key molecules that are crucial to tumor biology. Discover the latest research in molecular imaging in cancer biology in this feed.
Apoptosis in Cancer
Apoptosis is an important mechanism in cancer. By evading apoptosis, tumors can continue to grow without regulation and metastasize systemically. Many therapies are evaluating the use of pro-apoptotic activation to eliminate cancer growth. Here is the latest research on apoptosis in cancer.
Cancer Genomics (Keystone)
Cancer genomics approaches employ high-throughput technologies to identify the complete catalog of somatic alterations that characterize the genome, transcriptome and epigenome of cohorts of tumor samples. Discover the latest research using such technologies in this feed.
Barrett Esophagus
Barrett’s esophagus if a serious complication of gastroesophageal reflux disease during which the normal esophageal lining changes to tissue that resembles intestinal lining. Here is the latest research.
Antivirals
Antivirals are medications that are used specifically for treating viral infections. Discover the latest research on antivirals here.
Antivirals (ASM)
Antivirals are medications that are used specifically for treating viral infections. Discover the latest research on antivirals here.
BCL-2 Family Proteins
BLC-2 family proteins are a group that share the same homologous BH domain. They play many different roles including pro-survival signals, mitochondria-mediated apoptosis and removal or damaged cells. They are often regulated by phosphorylation, affecting their catalytic activity. Here is the latest research on BCL-2 family proteins.