A nonfatal viral disease that occurs naturally in cottontail rabbits in states bordering the Mississippi River as well as in Oklahoma and Texas, and in brush rabbits in California. Cottontail rabbits from other parts of the United States and domestic rabbits (Oryctolagus) are also susceptible. The disease is caused by infection with Shope papilloma virus, one of a number of papilloma viruses that infect a range of animals, including humans; it is spread naturally by contamination of broken skin or by the rabbit tick.