Mead-Briggs A R, Vaughan J A
J Hyg (Lond). 1975 Oct;75(2):237-47. doi: 10.1017/s0022172400047276.
Laboratory studies showed that few rabbit fleas (Spilopsyllus cuniculi (Dale)) transmitted myxomatosis after removal from wild rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus (L) that had been infected for fever than 10-12 days, irrespective of the virulence of the myxoma virus strain involved. Rabbits infected with fully virulent (Grade I) strains died within 10-15 days and few fleas from these hosts became infective; averaging all the samples takem. 12% of the fleas were infective. Also, few fleas acquired infectivity on individual rabbits which covered from infection with attenuated strains; the mean was 8% infective. Rabbits which died between 17 and 44 days after infection had higher proportions of infective fleas at all sampling times; the mean was 42% infective. Male and female fleas transmitted virus with equal efficiency. For rabbits infected with any of the attenuated virus strains the mean percentage of infective fleas was inversely related to the survival time of the host. Rabbits infected with moderately attenuated strains (Grades IIIA and IIIB) had, on average, the highest proportion of infective fleas; hence such strains have a selective advantage and have become predominant under natural conditions in Britain. The changes that might occur if there is an increase in host resistance to myxomatosis are discussed.
实验室研究表明，从感染黏液瘤病超过10 - 12天的野兔（穴兔）身上取下的兔蚤（兔蚤属）很少传播黏液瘤病，无论所涉及的黏液瘤病毒株的毒力如何。感染完全致病（I级）毒株的兔子在10 - 15天内死亡，这些宿主身上的蚤很少具有感染性；将所有采集的样本平均计算，12%的蚤具有感染性。此外，在感染减毒株的个体兔子身上，也很少有蚤获得感染性；平均为8%具有感染性。在感染后17至44天死亡的兔子，在所有采样时间点都有较高比例的感染性蚤；平均为42%具有感染性。雄蚤和雌蚤传播病毒的效率相同。对于感染任何减毒病毒株的兔子，感染性蚤的平均百分比与宿主的存活时间呈负相关。感染中度减毒株（IIIA级和IIIB级）的兔子，平均而言，具有感染性蚤的比例最高；因此，这类毒株具有选择优势，在英国的自然条件下已成为优势毒株。文中还讨论了如果宿主对黏液瘤病的抵抗力增加可能会发生的变化。
