Study design, sampling locations and animals
We tested a total of 1,095 samples from legally hunted or otherwise deceased (e.g., found dead) EBHs (L. europaeus , n=1,042), mountain hares (Lepus timidus , n=5), Corsican hares (Lepus corsicanus , n=2), and European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus , n=39) that were opportunistically and randomly collected between 2016 and 2021 in six European countries (Germany (n=938), Sweden (n=4), England (n=25), Italy (n=81), the Netherlands (n=32), the Czech Republic (n=15); Figure 1). The 39 rabbit samples included six euthanised pet rabbits (O. cuniculus ) and one sample from a live domestic rabbit which was presented with syphilitic lesions in a veterinary clinic. In the latter, swabs were taken purposely for diagnostic reasons.
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