Evidence for recombination in the major capsid gene VP60 of the rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV)

Rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD) is a highly fatal disease caused by a virus of the family Caliciviridae. Whereas recombination is well documented in other members of this family, the extent of recombination has so far not been studied in RHDV. To reach a better evaluation of the possible role of recombination in the evolution of RHDV virulence, we have searched for recombination events in RHDV by analysing 43 complete sequences of the major capsid gene VP60. Phylogenetic analyses revealed two well separated groups. Clear evidence for recombination was found for the Hartmannsdorf strain which shows different phylogenetic profiles depending on the region of the capsid examined.