Chapter 3.7.2. Detection of Rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus 2 in the Pygmy Rabbit (Brachylagus idahoensis) in Nevada, USA.

ABSTRACT

Rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus 2 (RHDV2 or Lagovirus GI.2) began circulating in wild lagomorph populations in the US in March 2020. To date, RHDV2 has been confirmed in several species of cottontail rabbits (Sylvilagus spp.) and hares (Lepus spp.) throughout the US. In February 2022, RHDV2 was detected in a pygmy rabbit (Brachylagus idahoensis). Pygmy rabbits are sagebrush obligates that only occur in the US Intermountain West and are a species of special concern due to the continual degradation and fragmentation of sagebrush-steppe landscapes. The spread of RHDV2 into occupied pygmy rabbit sites may pose a significant threat to their populations because of already declining numbers associated with habitat loss and high mortality rates.