Confirmation of rabbit haemorrhagic disease in wild New Zealand rabbits using the ELISA

Authors: Motha MXJ, Clark RG
Publication: New Zealand Veterinary Journal, Volume 46, Issue 2, pp 83-84, Apr 1998
Publisher: Taylor and Francis

Animal type: Rabbit, Wildlife
Subject Terms: Viral, Disease/defect, Infectious disease, Diagnostic procedures, Circulatory system/haematology
Article class: Correspondence

---

Abstract: Rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD), also known as rabbit calicivirus disease, is a highly contagious and acute fatal disease of wild and domestic European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus). This disease was first described in the Peoples` Republic of China in 1984 (Liu et al., 1984) and it is currently endemic in Asia, Europe (Lavazza and Capucci, 1996) and very recently in Australia. RHD is characterised by high morbidity and a mortality rate between 40% and 90% (Marcato et al., 1991). Infection occurs in rabbits of all ages, but clinical disease is observed only in rabbits more than 40-50 days old (Lavazza and Capucci, 1996). The routine diagnostic tests for the laboratory confirmation of RHD are either the ELISA or the haemagglutination test or histology. In the South Island of New Zealand, RHD virus was recently illegally introduced for the biological control of wild rabbits (Thompson and Clark, 1997). Initially samples from three wild rabbits found dead following a pre-poison (1080) carrot bait drop on a farm near Cromwell were submitted to the Invermay Animal Health Laboratory (IAHL), Mosgiel. The differential diagnosis included…

---