Host genus confirmation
Samples that were received from third parties (e.g., hunters) were subject to host genus confirmation. For this reason, we amplified a 1,486 bp long region of the immunoglobulin heavy chain gene using two independent PCRs (IGHGCH2 and IGHG hinge regions) to differentiate lagomorphs on the genus level (Lavazza et al., 2015). Briefly, the 50µl reaction contained 25 µl 2x Phanta Max Master Mix (Vazyme Biotech Co. Ldt., Nanjing, China), 19 µl RNase free water, 2 µl of the respective 10 µM primer and template DNA. Cycling conditions were identical for both PCRs: 3 min initial denaturation at 95°C followed by 40 amplification cycles of 15 sec at 95°C, 15 sec at 60°C and an elongation phase at 72°C for 30 sec, followed by a post-extension step at 72°C for 5 min.