Poxviruses are large eukaryotic DNA viruses that have evolved a variety of strategies to
evade the host immune responses to virus infection. Myxoma virus is of particular interest
because it is a rabbit-specific poxvirus that induces a defined systemic virus disease,
myxomatosis, in the infected European rabbit. A variety of virus-encoded proteins that are
important for subverting cellular immunity and inflammation have been identified, and many
of these operate by modulating or subverting cellular cytokine networks. Studies on viral …