Myxoma Virus Outbreak Hits Austrian Hares and Rabbits for First Time

A recent veterinary study confirmed the inaugural Austrian emergence of a hare-adapted myxoma virus, a poxvirus historically used to control rabbit populations. The outbreak, recorded in Vienna, Lower Austria and Burgenland, involved 235 field hares and ten wild rabbits showing eye, nasal and genital swelling consistent with poxvirus infection. Over 270 carcasses collected from 89 municipalities between March and November were examined, and genetic testing identified a highly pathogenic variant identical to strains observed in Spain, Germany and the Netherlands since 2018.

The researchers highlighted the virus's capacity to mutate and infect new hosts, raising worries about secondary infections with zoonotic bacteria and underscoring the need for enhanced surveillance, genomic monitoring and cross-border cooperation. Similar cases have already been reported in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary.