Myxomatosis in Australia's rabbits was the first successful biological control program of a mammalian pest in the world.

"In 1951 'myxo' spread over southeast Australia in a matter of about 3 months," says Professor Frank Fenner of the Australian National University, a member of the research team at the time. "The mortality rate in the field was over 99%."

Australia's science and rural communities are marking fifty years of control of one of Australia's most familiar and costly pests.

According to Professor Fenner, the first and unsuccessful attempt at introducing myxoma virus to Australian rabbits was in 1918, the next in 1934.

Finally a determined trial was made in 1950 by CSIRO and Professor Fenner.

"We almost wrote the whole exercise off," he says.

"Five releases fizzled out in the middle months of 1950. All were during autumn and winter, even though previous research had shown that the disease was transmitted by mosquitoes."

At the end of 1950, when the weather conditions and mosquito breeding were right, the virus escaped and was found 10 miles from the nearest trial site.

Later that year, in a remarkable demonstration to quell public anxiety that myxoma might spread to humans, Professor Fenner and two other top Australian scientists - McFarlane Burnet and Ian Clunies Ross - injected themselves with a massive dose of myxoma.

It did them no harm, says Professor Fenner.

2000 Eureka Prize winner CSIRO's Dr Brian Cooke is conscious of the parallels between today's research and the pioneering research of the 1950s.

Dr Cooke says that despite the difficulties and apprehension associated with diseases such as myxoma and calici virus, the future of rabbit control in Australia lies with increasing the effectiveness of existing bio-control methods, and creating innovative new ones.

"Biological control methods are the only way of dealing with the rabbit pest in the long term and on a broad scale," says Dr Cooke.

"It is in the nature of biological organisms to change with the passing of time. Because of this, there is a continuing and important role for researchers working in the field of rabbit control."

"It is also important to recognise that there will not ever be one simple final solution to the problem," he says. "Our best and only option is to continue to use a suite of control methods ranging from the traditional - such as mechanical ripping of warrens - to the latest in genetic or biomolecular techniques."

Rabbits are Australia's worst animal pest, causing production losses of hundreds of millions of dollars per year. They also damage native vegetation and compete with wildlife for food. They are considered a threat to many native species.

Professor Fenner is guest speaker at a special dinner to mark the 50th year of biological rabbit control in Australia, at the National Museum of Australia on Wednesday 24 October. Media are welcome - please contact Suzette Searle on 02 6242 1724 to book.

A forum on the future of rabbit control in Australia will be held at CSIRO at Gungahlin on Thursday 25 October. The forum will be attended by landholders, regulatory authorities, R&D organisations, environmental bodies, research funding agencies, groups concerned about the use of GMOs and groups concerned about the welfare of rabbits.

To attend the forum, or to obtain a copy of proceedings, please contact Suzette Searle on 02 6242 1724.

Contacts:

Professor Frank Fenner, ANU 02-6215 2526
fenner@jcsmr.anu.edu.au

Dr Mary Bomford, BRS 02-6272 4262
mary.bomford@brs.gov.au