Myxomatosis wasn't "made" in the sense of being created from scratch. It is caused by the Myxoma virus (MV) which originates naturally in wild rabbits of South America. It was then deliberately introduced into other areas.
Here's a breakdown:
- Origin: The Myxoma virus is naturally occurring. Its natural reservoir is thought to be in certain wild rabbit species in South America.
- Isolation: The virus was first isolated in Uruguay in 1898.
- Deliberate Introduction: The virus was intentionally introduced to other regions, specifically:
- France (1952): It was deliberately released in France to control rabbit populations. From there it spread rapidly across continental Europe.
- United Kingdom: The virus made its way into the United Kingdom.
Therefore, myxomatosis, as a disease, arose because a naturally occurring virus was deliberately introduced into rabbit populations outside its natural South American range to control those populations. It was not synthetically created.
