There are four known herpesviruses of rabbits. Leporid herpesvirus 1 (LHV-1, cottontail herpesvirus) and Leporid herpesvirus 3 (LHV-3, Herpesvirus sylvilagus) are gammaherpesviruses and do not affect domestic rabbits. Leporid herpesvirus 2 ( LHV-2, virus 3, virus III, Herpesvirus cuniculi) is also a gammaherpesvirus that was first found in domestic laboratory rabbits in the mid-1920s and is asymptomatic. Leporid herpesvirus 4 (LHV-4) is classified as an alphaherpesvirus and can cause death in domestic rabbits.
- LHV-1: Found in Sylvilagus floridanus Eastern cottontail.
- LHV-2: Found in domestic laboratory rabbits in 1924 while looking for causative agent of chickenpox.
- LHV-3: Found in Sylvilagus floridanus Eastern cottontail.
- LHV-4: Found in both commercial and pet rabbits in 1990.
Rabbits may also be affected by the herpes simplex virus (HSV) from humans. Infections in rabbits results in fatal encephalitis (brain swelling). Published reports of infections are associated with close contact between affected rabbits and infected humans.
Herpes simplex virus
Two varieties of the herpesvirus family (Herpesviridae) infect humans: herpes simplex virus 1 and 2, also known as human herpesvirus 1 and 2. Both HSV-1 and HSV-2 are found everywhere and contagious. Rabbits are naturally susceptible to HSV-1.:258
- acute conjunctivitis
- signs of central nervous system (CNS) dysfunction: circling, ataxia, seizures, and/or powerful spasms that cause backward arching of the head, neck, and spine (ospthisthotonus).
- Wildpro. Herpes simplex Infection in Hedgehogs and Lagomorph
- Ricardo de Matos et al. (2014). Spontaneous fatal Human herpesvirus 1 encephalitis in two domestic rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus)
- Scott Weese. (2009). Transmission of herpesvirus from a person to a rabbit
- P. Grest et al. (2002). Herpes Simplex Encephalitis in a Domestic Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus)
- Dr. Evan B. Janovitz et al. (1998). Fatal Human Herpes Simplex Virus Encephalitis in a Domestic Rabbit
- H. Weissenböck et al. (1997). Naturally Occurring Herpes Simplex Encephalitis in a Domestic Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus)
Leporid herpesvirus 1 and 3
Both LHV-1 and LHV-3 were isolated from primary kidney cell cultures of weanling cottontail rabbits. They belong to the subfamily Gammaherpesvirinae. Although H. sylvilagus replicates in kidney cells prepared from the domestic rabbit, attempts to infect New Zealand rabbits with the virus have been unsuccessful.:258 No attempts to infect domestic rabbits with LHV-1 have been reported.
Leporid herpesvirus 4
Leporid herpesvirus 4 (LHV-4) is a novel alphaherpesvirus identified in domestic rabbits O. cuniculus. It belongs to the genus Simplex of the subfamily Alphaherpesvirinae. The disease is characterized by a sudden onset with mortality rates up to 30%, mostly among young rabbits.:258
- Mayow Veterinary Surgery. Herpes virus infection in rabbits
- Medirabbit. Herpes sp. virus in rabbits.
- Quesenberry, K., & Carpenter, J. (2012). Ferrets, rabbits, and rodents: Clinical medicine and surgery. (3rd ed.).
- Barthold, S. W., Griffey, S. M., & Percy, D. H. (2016). Pathology of laboratory rodents and rabbits. (4th ed.).