birding-aus

Fw: Introduced species viruses

To: "Birding-Aus" <>
Subject: Fw: Introduced species viruses
From: "Nigel Sterpin" <>
Date: Thu, 29 Oct 1998 18:34:05 +1100
Hello all. I received this response to my email from the Australian
Endangered Species website.
----------
> From: INVASIVE <>
> To: Nigel Sterpin <>
> Subject: Re: Introduced species viruses
> Date: Tuesday, October 27, 1998 11:37
> 
>      Dear Nigel
>      
>      I refer to your email of 19 October 1998 concerning the use of
viruses 
>      to wipe out introduced species.  I regret the delay in replying 
>      however we seem to be having problems forwarding this reply.
>      
>      The Rabbit Calicivirus Disease (RCD) was not manufactured to assist
in 
>      the control of European rabbits.  RCD came to the attention of 
>      Australia when large numbers of rabbits started dying in some
European 
>      countries.  On examination of those rabbits RCD was isolated.  It 
>      appears that RCD is a disease that normally occurs in the wild
rabbit 
>      populations of Europe and other countries and every so often causes 
>      high moralities.  It was first reported in China in 1984 and soon 
>      after in other countries in Asia, Europe and in Mexico.  The disease

>      was thought to be spread by humans trading in domestic rabbits.  In 
>      only a few months it killed 64 million farmed rabbits in Italy alone

>      and quickly passed from domestic rabbits into wild rabbit
populations, 
>      causing high mortality.
>      
>      These reports alerted scientist to a potentially new biological 
>      control for wild rabbits in Australian and New Zealand.  The virus
was 
>      taken into quarantine at the CSIRO Australian Animals Health 
>      Laboratory in Geelong for comprehensive testing over three years
from 
>      June 1991.  These tests, along with previous results from overseas, 
>      confirmed that RCD is very specific to the European rabbit.  It does

>      not produce the disease in Australian native animals, domestic 
>      animals, hares or even the American Cottontail rabbit.  Any species 
>      tested has not caught the disease.
>      
>      To manufacture or develop a virus from scratch to meet a specific 
>      requirement, such as to kill another species, while not impossible, 
>      would be very expensive.  This is due to the many other issues that 
>      would need to be resolved before you could be 100% satisfied that
only 
>      the target species was going to be affected and that the chances of 
>      the virus changing its structure to allow it to attack other species

>      could not occur.  You would also need to ensure that it could not 
>      escape and cause damage to species overseas where they are not a
pest.
>      
>      Work is however being undertaken to look at the immune system of
pest 
>      species and to see if this can be used back against themselves.  
>      Depending on what is discovered it may be possible to then use a
virus 
>      as a carrier, infect the pest with the virus which would then
release 
>      the immune component to attack the pest species.  That could be the 
>      pest reproductive system which would make it sterile or some other 
>      important bodily component, but the same degree of testing has to be

>      done to ensure its safety to other species.
>      
>      I hope this information answers your queries.
>      
>      Kind Regards
>      
>      
>      Robert Moore
>      
>      
> 
> 
> ______________________________ Reply Separator
_________________________________
> Subject: Introduced species viruses
> Author:  "Nigel Sterpin" <> at Internet
> Date:    19/10/98 8:01 PM
> 
> 
> Have you explored the use of developing viruses to wipe out introduced 
> species (like calici? virus for rabbits)?
> email: 

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