New virus variants evolve to evade hosts’ immune systems. But those immune systems also keep adapting
Rabbits were the victims of the deadliest epidemic in recent history — a germ warfare attack, really — with a virus that killed off more than 99% of the 100-million rabbits inhabiting Australia in 1950. However, the virus didn’t “win” — both the virus and the rabbits are still around today and continue to influence each other’s evolution.
The case of Australia’s rabbits is particularly instructive. European rabbits, brought to Australia by humans, overran the country and devoured its farmland. In a desperate attempt to remedy the problem, scientists working with the Australian government released a virus called myxoma, which is endemic to other animals and was thought to be unlikely to make a jump to humans.
The myxoma virus is continually spawning new variants, and at first made these infections seemed milder. But then the disease became deadlier and started killing in a different way — by suppressing the animals’ immune systems. In the end, the rabbits and the virus reached a stalemate.
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