A decade-long study in northeastern Spain has revealed striking differences in the impact of two deadly lagoviruses—EBHSV and RHDV2—on European brown hares. Researchers found that while EBHSV appears endemic and leads to periodic outbreaks with some survivors, RHDV2 is far more lethal, likely infecting hares through spillover from rabbits, with no clear evidence of adaptation or recovery in hares. Through detailed pathological and serological analyses of over 200 hares, the team discovered that EBHSV causes a slower disease progression and allows for an immune response, whereas RHDV2 kills swiftly, showing little sign of immune activation in hosts. This difference could explain their contrasting epidemiological patterns. These findings not only improve our understanding of disease dynamics in wildlife but also emphasize the importance of monitoring virus evolution, especially where wild rabbits and hares coexist.

More about our work here https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0378113525001130