Myxomatosis

Myxoma virus
Myxoma virus (transmission electron microscope)
Virus classification
(unranked):	Virus
Realm:	Varidnaviria
Kingdom:	Bamfordvirae
Phylum:	Nucleocytoviricota
Class:	Pokkesviricetes
Order:	Chitovirales
Family:	Poxviridae
Genus:	Leporipoxvirus
Species:	Myxoma virus

Myxomatosis is a disease caused by Myxoma virus, a poxvirus in the genus Leporipoxvirus. The natural hosts are tapeti (Sylvilagus brasiliensis) in South and Central America, and brush rabbits (Sylvilagus bachmani) in North America. The myxoma virus causes only a mild disease in these species, but causes a severe and usually fatal disease in European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus).

Myxomatosis is an example of what occurs when a virus jumps from a species adapted to the virus to a naive host, and has been extensively studied for this reason.^{[citation needed]} The virus was intentionally introduced in Australia, France, and Chile in the 1950s to control wild European rabbit populations.^{[citation needed]}