Leporid herpesvirus 4

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

There are four known herpesviruses of rabbits. LHV1 & LVH3 are gammaherpesviruses and do not affect domestic rabbits. LHV2 (aka virus 3 and Herpesvirus cuniculi) is also a gammaherpesvirus that was first found in domestic laboratory rabbits in the mid-1920s and is asymptomatic. LHV4 is classified as an alphaherpesvirus and can cause death in domestic rabbits.


 * LHV1 cottontail herpesvirus found in Sylvilagus floridanus Eastern cottontail
 * LHV2 Found in domestic laboratory rabbits in 1924 while looking for causative agent of chickenpox
 * LHV3 Herpesvirus sylvilagus found in Sylvilagus floridanus Eastern cottontail
 * LHV4 Found in both commercial and pet rabbits in 1990

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.

Symptoms
Affected animals presented with conjunctivitis, subcutaneous swellings, lethargy, respiratory distress, and abortion. A novel alphaherpesvirus, termed leporid herpesvirus-4 (LHV-4), was isolated and characterized from that outbreak.

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