Lack of evidence for differences in the spread of classic (Lagovirus europaeus/GI.1) and novel (Lagovirus europaeus/GI.2) rabbit haemorrhagic disease viruses in Europe and North Africa

BACKGROUND Fast-spreading diseases affecting wildlife populations threaten biodiversity. Two caliciviruses, Lagovirus europaeus/GI.1 and Lagovirus europaeus/GI.2, caused rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV) in wild rabbits. Despite having different characteristics, these variants spread quickly, posing a threat to wild rabbit populations. METHODS In this study, we conducted a thorough review of the scientific literature and reports of international organisations of first detections of both variants of RHDV in the Euro-Mediterranean region. We concentrated on this area to avoid bias due to intentional human introductions. RESULTS The estimated mean spread rate of GI.2 was higher than that of GI.1 (GI.2: 479 km/year, range: 47-7346; GI.1: 330 km/year, 37-6248). These differences were not statistically significant. This lack of difference may be due to the interactions between each variant's virulence characteristics. Humans may have a dominant effect on their spread. Potential limitations associated with the observational process could have hindered our ability to identify statistical differences. CONCLUSIONS The lack of difference in the spread patterns of the two variants could be due to a biological cause, human facilitation or a lack of statistical power. Adapting protocols to detect diseases in wildlife using homogeneous criteria will be indispensable in the coming years.