There is currently a growing number of seriously ill or dead European hares (Lepus europaeus) in southern Moravia. The animals exhibit typical symptoms of rabbit myxomatosis, such as apathy, swollen eyelids, inflammation of the nose and mouth area, and mucous membranes of the genitals. Myxomatosis is a common viral disease in rabbits that often has serious and fatal clinical symptoms. Until recently, the myxomatosis virus did not affect hares and was not transmissible to them.
However, in 2018, myxomavirus was detected for the first time in Iberian hares (Lepus granatensis) in Spain and Portugal. Since then, the virus has also been found in brown hares in Germany, the Netherlands and Austria. Modern molecular techniques have revealed that the myxomavirus found in hares is a new variant that arose through the natural recombination of classic rabbit myxomavirus and an unidentified poxvirus.
On Thursday, 28 August 2025, our laboratory confirmed the presence of the myxomatosis virus in samples from hares sent for testing for suspected cases of the disease in southern Moravia, using molecular diagnostics.