Leporid herpesvirus 4

Leporid herpesvirus 4 (LHV4) is a novel alphaherpesvirus identified in domestic rabbits O. cuniculus.

LHV4 reports

 * 1990's - Commercial rabbits in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia, Canada. Thought to be LHV4.
 * 2008  - Mini Rex and crossbred rabbits in a rabbitry in Alaska. LHV4 affected over half of the 55 rabbits on the premises, and 16 rabbits died or were euthanatized because of illness.
 * 2010  - 1.5-year-old intact female New Zealand white pet rabbit in northern Ontario, Canada. Housed outside in a hutch, passed away.

Symptoms
Affected animals presented with conjunctivitis, subcutaneous swellings, lethargy, respiratory distress, and abortion.

As a note, natural infections of Human herpesvirus 1 (herpes simplex 1) have been reported in rabbits, resulting in fatal encephalitis.