Myximatosis

[dustyfox]

I was talking to someone about this disease and said that once the rabbits are immune to this they will spread like wild fire and as the traditional ways of killing them vanished when it struck, it will be impossible to stop them.

 

My question is would we be able to control them on our own using the ways we know now or have a Stronger version of myxomatosis diseasew?

 

Im not in favour of releasing a new strain of it but would like to see new methods of controlling them.

[russ91]

new methods is mainely gassing

[col s10]

does not work mate,in your face shooting,does

[shotgun harry]

Im sure the government has all sorts of nasties available for the right moments, but biological control can never come with a certainty that it wont cross species and cause a pandemic I guess this is why they are reluctant to introduce these measures

[Mutley]

With all the technology and science available, even back when this was produced it's a disgrace to the animal

world to think that humankind unleashed this man made disease

Before any one says that the rabbits would over run the planet!...How come that something has not been chemically

designed for RATS as these are on a par

[The Great Cornholio]

Dusty,

The only reason traditional ways of killing them vanished when Myximatosis was unleashed was because there weren't many left.

[triscrx]

I hope man doesn't ever create something so savage if they do become immune. Stick to traditional methods of taking them out to keep the population down.

[tiercel]

With all the technology and science available, even back when this was produced it's a disgrace to the animal

world to think that humankind unleashed this man made disease

Before any one says that the rabbits would over run the planet!...How come that something has not been chemically

designed for RATS as these are on a par

 

Myxomatosis is not man made. It is the Myxoma virus a disease that occurs naturally in South American rabbits. It was being experimented with in France when some of the rabbits escaped. The French rabbit population was decimated; the British farmers could see what had happened to the French rabbits so it was imported to this country.

Myxoma is a viral disease and as such every so often it mutates just like the flue virus. Therefore we will never be rid of the disease completely because once rabbits are immune to one strain, the virus mutates and along comes another strain that kills the rabbits.

 

TC

[bunnybasher100]

there is anthoer one about don't know how it got here but look below

 

RVHD is a viral disease of the rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus. It was first described in domestic rabbits in China and entered Europe through the south west. It affects both wild and domestic animals and has been recorded in Europe's domestic stock since 1988.

 

The disease was first recorded in Britain in April 1992. Initially the majority of cases were reported from the southern counties of England, particularly the south west, with isolated cases elsewhere in Britain. However, this pattern has altered during the past couple of years and a total of 512 cases were reported across Scotland, England and Wales in 1995, of which four cases were reported from Scotland. Of this total, 8 cases were reported from animals in the wild.

 

RVHD is a notifiable disease and all suspected cases in Scotland must be reported to the Scottish Office (see 3.5). These records are then collated for the UK by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.

[bob300w]

I hope man doesn't ever create something so savage if they do become immune. Stick to traditional methods of taking them out to keep the population down.

I think that the chance of them becoming immune is pretty remote, after all, it has been with us for 55 years now. It returns every year after a hot spell (typically August-October) and wipes out 90% of the population, as a guess, whether those that survive are immune seems unlikely as the number of survivors does not increase each year. The other possibility is that they are immune but do not pass the immunity on to more than a small percentage of their off-spring. What I find puzzling is; Why does it re-occur every year? Where does the virus lurk for the other 11 months?

Incidentally, myxy is not man-made, as is often believed, it was first discovered in Uraguay in 1896, introduced to Australia in 1951, France in 1952, and "appeared" in the UK in 1953.

[The Great Cornholio]

Bob,

Could be that like some other viruses, it accelerates at a certain temp.

[bob300w]

Bob,

Could be that like some other viruses, it accelerates at a certain temp.

:hmm:Out of my field of expertise, I'm afraid, do virus lay dormant waiting for a sunny day? My missus does, does this mean that she is a virus? As opposed to the parasite that I have always believed her to be?

[anser2]

With myxi having reduced the population to such low levels even if rabbits became immune ( there is evidence that some rabbits are immune ). I doubt if they would ever recover to pre 1950s levels. The countryside has changed so much with hedges being grubbed out that a lot of the habitat that rabbits used is no longer there. In addition rabbit pradators are much more common than in the recent past. badgers , foxes and buzzards have increased sharply over the past few decades. There may well be some areas where rabbits would prosper , but looking at it nationwide I suspect populations would be higher than today , but not as high as the 1950s.

[tiercel]

I have often thought about the fact that in this area it usually arrive in September. The only idea I have come up with is this.

 

The virus is carried by Fleas and Mosquitoes a lot of the rabbits that had it last year died underground. (If they die on the surface the corpses are normally scavenged.) The Fleas that were on the rabbits that die underground can live in a dormant state in the warrens. When the warrens are started to be used by the rabbits again the heat off the body of the rabbits wake up the dormant fleas and the whole cycle starts all over again.

 

In this area we normally have a five to ten year cycle, where in the first year most of the rabbits are lost to myxi, the next year not so many die. So it goes on till we get to a point where hardly any of the rabbits are getting infected. Then one year in the 5 to 10 year cycle we will go back to having an almost total kill of rabbits by myxi. This I believe is the effect of the virus mutating.

 

There is one area here where myxomatosis is hardly ever seen. All the rabbits in that area live above ground they do not live in warrens. There is not a great deal of rabbits there and they cannot dig warrens as the ground is too soft and often waterlogged. Could it be the fact that they do not live underground be the saving grace for those rabbits.

 

 

TC

[bob300w]

I have often thought about the fact that in this area it usually arrive in September. The only idea I have come up with is this.

The virus is carried by Fleas and Mosquitoes a lot of the rabbits that had it last year died underground. (If they die on the surface the corpses are normally scavenged.) The Fleas that were on the rabbits that die underground can live in a dormant state in the warrens. When the warrens are started to be used by the rabbits again the heat off the body of the rabbits wake up the dormant fleas and the whole cycle starts all over again.

In this area we normally have a five to ten year cycle, where in the first year most of the rabbits are lost to myxi, the next year not so many die. So it goes on till we get to a point where hardly any of the rabbits are getting infected. Then one year in the 5 to 10 year cycle we will go back to having an almost total kill of rabbits by myxi. This I believe is the effect of the virus mutating.

 

There is one area here where myxomatosis is hardly ever seen. All the rabbits in that area live above ground they do not live in warrens. There is not a great deal of rabbits there and they cannot dig warrens as the ground is too soft and often waterlogged. Could it be the fact that they do not live underground be the saving grace for those rabbits.

TC

Odd is it not? You would think that fleas, and especially mosquitoes, would feed more on those that lived above ground.

Can a flea live for twelve months without food? I must agree that the severity of myxy goes in cycles, probably for the reason that you give, and much as human flu does.

[kdubya]

these are the main medium of transmission of the myxoma virus

Bites from mosquitoes carrying the Myxoma virus.

Bites from fleas carrying the Myxoma virus (fleas can survive for many months in hay)

Myxomatosis can also be spread by Cheyletiella fur mites (foxes passing by)

 

like teircel I have a couple of shoots that have NEVER shown mix,these rabbit never show flea infestation like some, one or two of my shoots the rabbit are litterally crawling with flea dozens in the ears alone,

now the shoots that dont have mix have one in common? and that is I have never seen bailed or spread hay,

cheers KW

[Cranfield]

I have often thought about the fact that in this area it usually arrive in September. The only idea I have come up with is this.

 

The virus is carried by Fleas and Mosquitoes a lot of the rabbits that had it last year died underground. (If they die on the surface the corpses are normally scavenged.) The Fleas that were on the rabbits that die underground can live in a dormant state in the warrens. When the warrens are started to be used by the rabbits again the heat off the body of the rabbits wake up the dormant fleas and the whole cycle starts all over again.

 

In this area we normally have a five to ten year cycle, where in the first year most of the rabbits are lost to myxi, the next year not so many die. So it goes on till we get to a point where hardly any of the rabbits are getting infected. Then one year in the 5 to 10 year cycle we will go back to having an almost total kill of rabbits by myxi. This I believe is the effect of the virus mutating.

 

There is one area here where myxomatosis is hardly ever seen. All the rabbits in that area live above ground they do not live in warrens. There is not a great deal of rabbits there and they cannot dig warrens as the ground is too soft and often waterlogged. Could it be the fact that they do not live underground be the saving grace for those rabbits.

 

 

TC

 

My theory is very similar to tiercel's, but I believe that the flea is dormant in the colder months and when it warms up, the rabbit is spending most of the Summer outside the burrows in the longer crops.

Its always after the harvest and when the rabbits return to their earths, that you start to see myxomatosis.

 

I read something many years ago , I believe written by a Min of Ag scientist, where the opinion was that the interbreeding among rabbits eventually created full, or partial immunity to myxomatosis.

Like other ferreters, I have caught many rabbits with bald patches and scarring round their eyes, giving the appearance that they are recovering from the disiease.

[kdubya]

I have often thought about the fact that in this area it usually arrive in September. The only idea I have come up with is this.

 

The virus is carried by Fleas and Mosquitoes a lot of the rabbits that had it last year died underground. (If they die on the surface the corpses are normally scavenged.) The Fleas that were on the rabbits that die underground can live in a dormant state in the warrens. When the warrens are started to be used by the rabbits again the heat off the body of the rabbits wake up the dormant fleas and the whole cycle starts all over again.

 

In this area we normally have a five to ten year cycle, where in the first year most of the rabbits are lost to myxi, the next year not so many die. So it goes on till we get to a point where hardly any of the rabbits are getting infected. Then one year in the 5 to 10 year cycle we will go back to having an almost total kill of rabbits by myxi. This I believe is the effect of the virus mutating.

 

There is one area here where myxomatosis is hardly ever seen. All the rabbits in that area live above ground they do not live in warrens. There is not a great deal of rabbits there and they cannot dig warrens as the ground is too soft and often waterlogged. Could it be the fact that they do not live underground be the saving grace for those rabbits.

 

 

TC

 

My theory is very similar to tiercel's, but I believe that the flea is dormant in the colder months and when it warms up, the rabbit is spending most of the Summer outside the burrows in the longer crops.

Its always after the harvest and when the rabbits return to their earths, that you start to see myxomatosis.

 

I read something many years ago , I believe written by a Min of Ag scientist, where the opinion was that the interbreeding among rabbits eventually created full, or partial immunity to myxomatosis.

Like other ferreters, I have caught many rabbits with bald patches and scarring round their eyes, giving the appearance that they are recovering from the disiease.

 

approx 10% of affected rabbit WILL recover and it is the reason as I have stated every sodding time mix comes up? I wont shoot any showing signs? those that recover then breed on an immunity to THAT STRAIN OF MIX, it is also woth noting that mix is still deliberatly spread, a friend of mine who is a water bailiff, has contacts who identify strains of the virus, and the first know location of that strain, and lets just say them fleas must jump a long way quick to spread it at times?

as for gassing one of my best shoots was gassed about 4 years ago, the company that did it was fined as the land had a resident water vole population, always worth mentioning to landowners when they are disscussing methods of control??and the prefferance of gas over shooting!

cheers KW

[bob300w]

Interesting article on myxy here;

 

http://www.rguppy.freeserve.co.uk/myxomato...act%20sheet.htm

 

One interesting point here is that if you place a myxy rabbit in a cage with a non-infected one, myxy will not spread to the healthy one, unless there are fleas or mosquito's to do it.

[Ferret Master]

From what I have read when myxy was first introduced the only rabbits that survived were the ones that lived above ground. These then repopulated the area after the rabbits which lived in burys died out. As the virus is spread predominately by the rabbit flea but also other blood sucking creatures the rabbits above ground were less likely to contract the disease because they did not live in potentially flea infested warrens where the fleas would pass around among a number of rabbits quickly, thus spreading the virus.

 

I have caught rabbits that appear to have recovered as well however that is only one strain of the virus. If these rabbits breed they may pass on their immunity to myxy to their offspring however once the virus mutates then their young will have no natural immunity to it and the whole cycle starts all over again.

 

FM

[tiercel]

I have read the replies and there is a lot of food for thought in there.

If the fleas that carry the virus were temperature activated, you would expect to see the main outbreaks in the summer months as opposed to the beginning of autumn, when it is by general consensus that we first see the larger outbreaks.

Although it seems that odd incidents are reported throughout the summer months, but never full-scale outbreaks. There may be a reason for that.

If we look at the way the rabbit’s breed, it might give us a clue as to why we do not see the full-scale outbreaks in the summer.

When a rabbit doe becomes pregnant she then leaves the main warren to build herself a stop. Where she can raise her young away from the bucks that would kill the kits at the first chance. These stops are generally well away from the main warren. The doe then covers the mouth of the stop over with earth and feeds the young once a day. While she is feeding the young rabbits she attracts no attention from other rabbits as she is lactating. However, as soon as she has finished feeding that brood, she once again comes into season and the inevitable contact with other rabbits.

Once the days start growing shorter rabbits cease breeding and tend to congregate in the larger warrens. That action could be the trigger for the larger outbreaks of myxi.

The smaller outbreaks of individual rabbits could perhaps be contributed to the contact for breeding and bucks that are living in the bigger warrens all the time.

There is another feasible option. That is, because of the dead rabbits in the larger warrens, the rabbits avoid it untill the corpses have totally rotted away. Then once they start using a warren again the fleas get to infect them.

Any Thoughts?

 

TC