Rabbitpox has not been recognised in wild rabbits, however a few outbreaks have been reported in the USA since 1930.5
Rabbitpox virus is a highly infectious airborne agent, which spreads very rapidly through laboratories which contain rabbits causing a high rate of mortality. Because of the edematous condition, “poxless” rabbitpox may be confused with myxomatosis. The virus may be isolated or the infection diagnosed serologically by methods appropriate to vaccinia. Rabbitpox virus is closely related immunologically to vaccinia virus, consequently rabbits that have been inoculated with the smallpox (vaccinia virus) vaccine have immunity against rabbitpox.
Rabbitpox virus does not infect humans.
"Medical Dictionary - 'rabbitpox virus'". mediLexicon. Retrieved 2007-04-03. http://www.medilexicon.com/medicaldictionary.php?t=99011 ↩
Adams MM, Rice AD, Moyer RW (October 2007). "Rabbitpox virus and vaccinia virus infection of rabbits as a model for human smallpox". Journal of Virology. 81 (20): 11084–95. doi:10.1128/JVI.00423-07. PMC 2045566. PMID 17686856. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2045566 ↩
C. Upton; Chen, N; Roper, RL; Feng, Z; Hunter, A; Danila, M; Lefkowitz, EJ; Buller, RM; Upton, C (August 12, 2005). "Complete coding sequences of the rabbitpox virus genome" (PDF). Journal of General Virology. 86 (Pt 11): 2969–2977. doi:10.1099/vir.0.81331-0. PMID 16227218. Retrieved 2007-04-03. http://vir.sgmjournals.org/cgi/reprint/86/11/2969.pdf ↩
"Rabbitpox". The Merck Veterinary Manual. Archived from the original on 2007-04-16. Retrieved 2007-04-03. https://web.archive.org/web/20070416030732if_/http://www.merckvetmanual.com:80/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/171327.htm ↩
Merck Veterinary Manual http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/171327.htm ↩