Evolution and phylogeography of the nonpathogenic calicivirus RCV-A1 in wild rabbits in Australia.

ABSTRACT: Despite its potential importance for the biological control of European rabbits, relatively little is known about the evolution and molecular epidemiology of rabbit calicivirus Australia 1 (RCV-A1). To address this issue we undertook an extensive evolutionary analysis of 36 RCV-A1 samples collected from wild rabbit populations in southeast Australia between 2007 and 2009. Based on phylogenetic analysis of the entire capsid sequence, six clades of RCV-A1 were defined, each exhibiting strong population subdivision. Strikingly, our estimates of the time to the most recent common ancestor of RCV-A1 coincide with the introduction of rabbits to Australia in the mid-19th century. Subsequent divergence events visible in the RCV-A1 phylogenies likely reflect key moments in the history of the Europe

SUBMITTER: Jahnke M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2976393 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature