Diagnostic survey of viral haemorrhagic disease in wild rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) in four regions of Spain

Abstract

Samples of organs and serum were obtained from wild rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) found dead in the field, shot or captured by hunters, or introduced for repopulation in various provinces of Spain over a two-year period, for the purposes of an epidemiological study of viral haemorrhagic disease (VHD) of rabbits. The efficacy of the haemagglutination test and the direct immunofluorescence test for the diagnosis of VHD was also examined.