Browsing by Author "Strive, Tanja"

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    First Detection of Benign Rabbit Caliciviruses in Chile
    (2024) Smertina, Elena; Keller, Luca M.; Huang, Nina; Flores Benner, Gabriela Verónica; Correa Cuadros, Jennifer Paola; Duclos, Melanie; Jaksic Andrade, Fabián; Briceño, Cristóbal; Neira Ramírez, Víctor; Díaz-Gacitúa, Miguel; Carrasco-Fernández, Sebastián; Smith, Ina L.; Strive, Tanja; Jenckel, Maria
    Pathogenic lagoviruses (Rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus, RHDV) are widely spread across the world and are used in Australia and New Zealand to control populations of feral European rabbits. The spread of the non-pathogenic lagoviruses, e.g., rabbit calicivirus (RCV), is less well studied as the infection results in no clinical signs. Nonetheless, RCV has important implications for the spread of RHDV and rabbit biocontrol as it can provide varying levels of cross-protection against fatal infection with pathogenic lagoviruses. In Chile, where European rabbits are also an introduced species, myxoma virus was used for localised biocontrol of rabbits in the 1950s. To date, there have been no studies investigating the presence of lagoviruses in the Chilean feral rabbit population. In this study, liver and duodenum rabbit samples from central Chile were tested for the presence of lagoviruses and positive samples were subject to whole RNA sequencing and subsequent data analysis. Phylogenetic analysis revealed a novel RCV variant in duodenal samples that likely originated from European RCVs. Sequencing analysis also detected the presence of a rabbit astrovirus in one of the lagovirus-positive samples.
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    History, control, epidemiology, ecology, and economy of the invasion of European rabbits in Chile: a comparison with Australia
    (2023) Correa Cuadros, Jennifer Paola; Flores Benner, Gabriela Verónica; Munoz-Rodriguez, Manuel Andres; Briceno, Cristobal; Diaz, Miguel; Strive, Tanja; Vasquez, Felipe; Jaksic Andrade, Fabián
    We reviewed existing studies on the European rabbit in Chile regarding history, control, epidemiology, ecology, and economic impacts, comparing them with Australia's accumulated knowledge about the same topics. We focused especially on the resulting gaps and challenges to orient efforts toward controlling and managing rabbits in Chile. The European rabbit was first introduced to central Chile in the mid-eighteenth century and was reported as naturalized by 1884. It is among the seven invasive species that most affect Chilean ecosystems and their productive uses. The strongest rabbit impacts have been reported on Chilean islands and in the mainland’s sclerophyllous forest biome. Released rabbits colonized both Juan Fernández Archipelago in 1935, becoming a harmful species damaging endemic vegetation and nesting bird populations, and Tierra del Fuego Island in 1936, becoming competitors for forage with sheep. The sclerophyllous forest in continental Chile is one of the five Mediterranean ecosystems of the world and one of the 34 critical “hotspots” for conserving the planet’s biodiversity. Here, released rabbits and escapees have changed the spatial distribution of native shrubs and herbs, impeding the regeneration of the native matorral. Overall, the impacts of this species during the last 70 years in Chile have been addressed chiefly from a community-ecological perspective, and applied research is lacking for improving public policies and efficient management of this invader. It is urgent to determine the geographical distribution, population size, and drivers of rabbit dynamics to predict their spread and outbreaks. Also, it is necessary to better understand their effects on Chilean natural ecosystems and agroecosystems to assess their economic impacts on biodiversity and production. In addition, it is essential to research pathogens such as Myxoma virus or Lagovirus in Chile, toward determining their prevalence, virulence, and corresponding rabbit immunity, to estimate and potentially harness any contributions such pathogens could make towards controlling populations through biological agents.