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1 THESES SIS/LIBRARY TELEPHONE: R.G. MENZIES LIBRARY BUILDING NO:2 FACSIMILE: THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY library.theses@anu.edu.au CANBERRA ACT 0200 AUSTRALIA USE OF THESES This copy is supplied for purposes of private study and research only. Passages from the thesis may not be copied or closely paraphrased without the written consent of the author.

2 THE EPIDEMIOLOGY OF MYXOMATOSI IN THE AUSTRALIAN WILD RABBIT by DAVID A...,"'""'"' '-' Submittecl the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the ;~~~... ~-='"..;;..... Q..u...,Q,~J-J..V..t.o.J. University, 'No"'.rember, 1955.

3 STATEHENT ~~<Jhich are described in full have carried either collaboration \cjith or under the supervision Professor 6 J" \Ih.ere candcontributed to the perfo:rmcmce of a particular po:rtion an is made to the co-author if the work has been published, and to the co-il 1o:rker 1,1here the data e..re The resul of relev ant to the thesis but to or no contributions a.re in su.mmary form \.Jith of the source material. The candidate 'tl'1as for most the laboratorj" t<~ork directly Aith the investigations, the surveys, the testing ts for innate reand the recovery and testing of virus testing o.f the numerous field strains collected after the.introductions French strain ViTI.lS (Chapter VI, Sections 4 & ) -v1ere out col1aborat:lon with Professor F$ J. Fenner. candidate fully the ec-.rly field work (Chapter VI, 5) subsequently all the field data were collected ~~ teruns the Survey of CormnonvJealth Scientific and Research direct as Lands Department of Victor1.a Hithout Untversity. Ac1mowmade b'".,r L"ldividnal members are the

4 AC KNOvJLEDGEJ lents Eiost of the \.7ork. 1 Tt...1l.S vias out the tenure of a scholarship awarded by the Cou..11cil of The Australian University. acknow1- edged. for unobt:rusive supervision, and. ~n this F. J. Fenner been of th but to Australia. The study epidemiology en j_n:rf3ctious c1is~ ease ely co-ordinated tea~ reported here not h~va been undertaken without the co-operation of of the Wild- Section Orga...nization"" and profltable Cominont.;real th collaboration A.. L. Section corrected 2..:nd dealing with their field tn'l.t.ne to for tythe thesis for J,. Joklik for typing many the tables. vwre taken al'ld processed The National University, e.nd Organization. and

5 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTF~DUCTION. 1 CHAPTER I HIS TORIOAL SURVEY Section The Habbit Australia. 3. Biological or 1'he Rabbit J1us tralia J4 0 H A P T R II Section HaterlaJ.s Hethods Used During Investigations,.. 2. Natarials And Nathods Used The Field. CHAPTER Section (a) SynonytlS. (b) (c) It 4..~ t By H.~, nacv~va 1on ' ~ eau Disinfectants $ 2e (d) Specificity,. (e) Classification. Of Nyxoma

6 page 3. Antigenic Relationshil~ Of :Hyxoma Virus. 9 3 S (a) Cla~sification. 107 (b) My-AC>matosis A.11d Leporide.e Pathogenesis In Qryctolagus cuniculus. Imrnunity: The Protection Conferred On =v v~ ~u'j~~~u L'11.7!une Does. And Theranr. To Hyx.:.>matosjos., CHAPTER V THE TRA.NSHLSS ION OF MYX011A ITIRUS Section le Transmission Insect Vectors. 177 CHAPTER VI S action 1. Reviet-t Of The In Australia. 2. Serological Surveys Of Myxomatosis Australia, 1952.

7 page The EpidemiolOffJ' Of Nr.troma.tos is On Australia, 211 Of Hyx:omatosis On And Of French Epidemiology Of The Northern Limit Sites Ir estation Australia. 6. T!.r1e Epidemiology Of J.. t Four On The Coastal (a). Bacchus South Eastern Victoria, (b). (c) NevJ South Experimental Strain Hyxoma.,.) Obserrations Of The Of Hyxomatosis Australia. o:r?o6 ""J 309 C H A P T E R YII In T.n.e Of liy-'...::omatosis Control. 323 BIBLIOGRA.P:Iii..330

8 I N T R 0 D U C T I 0 N

9 The epidemiology disease is usually studied so that remedial or preventive measures can be applied a;t the most accessible phase of parasite t s life cycle. One e these measures are applied, the relationship between host and parasite immediately, so that normally it is ible to follow the evolution of a disease under natural conditions for any length time. myxomatosis became established the Australian wild rabbit five years ago, the economic value of the disease became apparent almost ~~ediately. A far publicised aspect is the opportunity afforded epidemiologist study mutual interaction a.."limal-host a.nd virus-parasite under natural conditions.. bean is not the first time that a virus deliberately in a susceptible population; smallpox was used in this ~ay during the subjugation the American Indian and probably other communities (200), but the present widespread epizootics of myxomatosis are providing the oppor tunity to employ modern methods of research to trace out the natural history of a disease without the complication of attempts to protect the host. Australia the interference to the natural evolution of host-parasite relationship has been the repeated introduction of virulent myxoma vi~~s. thesis presents and laboratory observations the behaviour of the disease, and the response the host, during the first five myxomatosis in Australia.