Myxomatosis is AN infectious virus that was originally discovered in 1896 from foreign rabbits that came from uruguay. The death causing virus will spread by straight interaction with AN affected animal. Infected fleas and mosquitoes can even spread the deadly virus. the results of this virus are fever, conjunctivitis, possible blindness, lumps near head and genitals, pneumonia and eventually death. Death can take place anywhere from fourteen days to forty eight hours after infection.
In 1938, Australia used the virus for population control. Later, in 1950, they did a large test on the virus and took the population of rabbits from 600 million all the way down to a hundred million in only 2 years. That’s a death of five hundred million due to the release of the virus. a few decades later, genetic resistance was found and the virus began to only terminate about five hundredth of the infected amount. In 1996 they introduced a second virus, referred to as Rabbit Calicivirus, to increase the termination quantity.
There is a pet rabbit vaccinum against the virus that may be used in other areas but is not permitted in Australia. The authorities concern is that the virus in the injection has the potency to increase to the wild rabbit population therefore causing immunity to the deadly virus that undermines its use.
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