The importance of liver lesions and changes to biochemical and coagulation factors in the pathogenesis of RHD

RHDV (rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus) is an etiologic factor of RHD (rabbit haemorrhagic disease), which is highly morbid and mortal viral infection of an adult European rabbit. Although three decades have passed since the first outbreak of rabbit haemorrhagic disease, the pathogenesis of RHD has still not been fully elucidated. It is known that RHDV replicates in the liver within the first hours following infection, causing necrotic and apoptotic cell death of hepatocytes. Anatomopathological changes are also observed in other organs of infected rabbits, i.e. lungs, spleen, kidneys, heart, as well as central nerve system. These changes leading to animals death are predominantly caused by systemic hemorrhagic diathesis with disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), appearing most likely as a consequence of liver cell loss through RHDV-induced apoptosis. In this paper, we presented previously described changes in biochemical and coagulation factors in RHDV infection.