A viral transmission model for foxes-cottontails-hares interaction: Infection through predation

The Eastern cottontail Sylvilagus floridanus is a lagomorph native to North America, introduced in Italy since the 1960s. In Central and Northern Italy, the cottontail overlaps its range with the native European hare Lepus europaeus and affects the predator-prey dynamics of native hares and foxes. Field data indicate that the cottontail is susceptible to infection by the European brown hare syndrome (EBHS) virus. Although the real role of cottontails and native foxes in the spreading of EBHS viruses is yet uncertain, we present a cottontail-hare-fox model including possible effects of EBHS, imported by foxes, through environmental contamination. A rather complete map of the possible system equilibria and their mutual relationship and transition is established.