Hungary study finds two myxoma virus strains in brown hares

A new study from Hungary adds to the evidence that myxomatosis in European brown hares is becoming a more complex surveillance issue. In Frontiers in Veterinary Science, researchers reported detecting both classic myxoma virus and a hare-adapted natural recombinant strain in two dead European brown hares from West Hungary, confirming the findings through virus isolation, real-time PCR, and full genome sequencing. The paper positions myxomatosis as an important disease threat in Central European brown hare populations and calls for continued epidemiologic monitoring. (frontiersin.org)

The backdrop is a changing myxoma virus landscape in Europe. A hare-adapted natural recombinant myxoma virus, often referred to as ha-MYXV, first emerged in Iberian hares in 2018 and was later detected in rabbits as well. Since then, published surveillance and outbreak reports have shown the virus moving beyond the Iberian Peninsula, including evidence in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and a substantial 2023–2024 outbreak affecting European brown hares in the Netherlands-Germany border region. (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

In the Hungarian study, the two hares were found dead near a hunting area in October 2025. According to the article abstract, the team recovered two distinct myxoma viruses, one classic and one recombinant, from the animals. That matters because it shows both viral lineages can be present in the same regional hare population at the same time, raising the stakes for diagnostic differentiation and local surveillance design. The authors frame the finding as evidence that myxomatosis should be considered a significant disease in Central European brown hares, not just an occasional spillover or geographically limited event. (frontiersin.org)

The report also fits with a broader literature trend. A recent study from the Iberian Peninsula described the first evidence of ha-MYXV infection in European hare populations there, while another Frontiers paper documented recombinant virus in European hares in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Separately, an Emerging Infectious Diseases report described more than 100 qPCR-confirmed hare cases during the 2024 outbreak in Germany and the Netherlands, showing that recombinant strains can circulate widely once established. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

From a diagnostics standpoint, this is where the story becomes especially relevant for veterinary laboratories. Earlier work describing a quadruplex qPCR assay emphasized that testing can distinguish classic MYXV from natural recombinant strains and can detect co-infections. That kind of assay capability becomes more important as surveillance programs encounter mixed viral ecology across hare and rabbit populations, and as wildlife case submissions may no longer be adequately characterized by a simple positive or negative myxoma result. (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

Why it matters: For veterinarians, veterinary diagnosticians, and wildlife disease teams, the Hungarian finding is less about a single mortality event and more about surveillance readiness. If both classic and recombinant strains are circulating in the same geography, then case definitions, PCR panel selection, sequencing strategy, and cross-border data sharing all become more consequential. Practices that advise on wildlife interfaces, rehabilitation, exotic companion mammals, or regional biosecurity may also need to keep myxomatosis on the differential list when compatible lesions or sudden lagomorph deaths are reported, while recognizing that the epidemiology in hares may differ from the better-known rabbit picture. (frontiersin.org)

There wasn't much visible public industry reaction tied specifically to this Hungarian paper, but the surrounding literature is consistent in its message: researchers across Europe are treating recombinant myxoma virus in hares as an emerging transboundary wildlife health issue that warrants structured monitoring. That’s an inference based on the clustering of new publications from multiple countries and the emphasis those papers place on surveillance tools and geographic spread. (frontiersin.org)

What to watch: The next key signal will be whether Hungary publishes additional field surveillance, prevalence data, or linked detections in neighboring countries, which would help clarify whether West Hungary represents a localized finding or part of a broader Central European expansion pattern for recombinant and classic myxoma viruses in hare populations. (frontiersin.org)