Myxomatosis: The Extraordinary Lie and Australia’s Largest Failure

Introduction

A while ago I was looking into Illnesses, diseases and Health Issues for rabbits, and I found information saying that the Myxomatosis vaccine is illegal. So I thought that was worldwide. But I was wrong. It’s only illegal in Australia… of course it is.

If you want to read my initial findings about the myxoma vaccine, have a look at A Huge Myx-up. However, this article is focussed on the Myxoma disease and more about how stupid authorities are.

History of Myxomatosis

In 1919, a Brazilian virologist, Aragao, suggested that myxomatosis, a virus disease of rabbits, could be used to control the rabbit population. This was debated because even though rabbits were a pest for some, they were income and food for others.

Then they came up with the brilliant idea that it may show promise if they introduced the virus to mosquitos, because they could carry it between rabbits.

After the war…

By 1951 reports of sick rabbits were coming in from down the Murray. By the end of January 1951 the few reports increased. Farmers started reporting sick rabbits, and the CSIRO press release of 29 January 1951 reported outbreaks 250km apart.

❝ The disease tends to be confined to the river flats and frontage country. In the Corowa Rutherglen area, where the most detailed observations have been carried out, there is a very obvious and clear relation between the activity of the disease and proximity of weedy lagoons. These are the breeding places of the dusk-biting Culex annulirostris mosquito. ❞

By mid February, the Melbourne Argus newspaper reported that 90% of rabbits were killed. Then they reported by December that Rabbits Laugh at Myxo, because it’s success was short lived.

Myxomatosis was concentrated by heavy rains, which made mosquitoes breed up along the Murray River system. These “special conditions” resulted in a CSIRO win.

Myxomatosis and the wool industry

It was said that by 1952-53 Australia’s wool production increased by 32 million ponds of wool as pastures could regrow. While that was not quite accurate (according to this 1953 newspaper article), the wool production was short lived because ❝ [w]orld consumption dropped off sharply in the second and third quarters of 1953 after having increased each three month period since the final quarter of 1951. ❞ That means myxomatosis had no effect on wool production at all and it was just fluctuating wool prices worldwide.

In 1954, the What Has Happened to Myxomatosis? (Tue 4 May 1954) article reported by Rutherglen Sun and Chiltern Valley Advertiser says: ❝ [e]arly in the season, there were many local reports of exceptionally rapid breeding, but later surveys have shown that the danger of plague numbers developing had been exaggerated; Observers probably unwittingly used the thinned-out rabbit populations of the past two years as their yard stick for comparison. ❞ So, rabbit numbers were exaggerated… hmmmm… Then after inoculation and reseeding the virus picked up again… well of course it did. Then in the same article it says ❝ [t]here are still too many rabbits about for complacency but their numbers are insufficient to put a dangerous to put pressure on the land. ❞

Exaggerated deaths presented in the news

❝ Early in the season, there were many local reports of exceptionally rapid breeding, but later surveys have shown that the danger of plague numbers developing had been exaggerated. ❞ Weekly Times, Melbourne, Wed 5th May 1954

In the same article it says: ❝ [the] standard strain used to initiate the epidemic this country (which was obtained from the Rockefeller Institute in America) … was artificially enhanced… ❞

This Benalla Ensign Newspaper article from Thu 8 July, 1954, clearly states at the end that Myxo was a failure and only picked up speed when they started:

❝ [r]eseeding by artificial innocula which was carried out on an solve scale in Victoria and New South Wales with standard of high virulence, has apparently provided a boost. ❞

This means Myxo was such a failure and they went around catching rabbits and injecting them with myxo. That way warrens would die, except they didn’t.

 The Wodonga and Towong Sentinel on Fri 20 Aug 1954 says:

❝ The insect mainly responsible for the spread of myxomatosis on the plains is a mosquito, Anopheles annulipes, which shelters in warrens and is believed to feed on rabbits underground. ❞

According to several sites, the Anopheles annulipes lives in trees and stumps. So, I can surmise that the scientist who found a Anopheles annulipes specimin with the rabbits must have mistaken a mosquito stuck to a rabbit’s foot as them living in the warrens.

Myxomatosis in Europe

Due to myxo being less than useless but being promoted as being something wonderful, in 1954 they released a modified strain called the “French virus”. This new virus had shown great effect in Europe from Spain (which killed many of the original species of lagomorphs in the Iberian Peninsula) through to Switzerland.

Prior to 1954, in France, people used to eat rabbit meat. It was known as the “the poor man’s meat” and is regarded as an important asset, not a pest. Through history rabbit meat helped them through huge starvation periods and even in WWII rabbit meat was the main staple. Even after the war, it was reported that 85 million rabbits were killed, annually, for their meat. As a sport, rabbits were hunted in numbers upward of 20 million a year.

❝France’s plague was started by an elderly French physician, who was annoyed by the rabbits which, every spring, destroyed many of his plants on his estate near Chartres. Hearing about Australia’s success in eradicating the rabbit pest by the introduction of myxomatosis, the doctor obtained a supply of the virus. In January, 1952, he injected it into a pair of young rabbits and turned them loose. Soon the rabbit death started moving across the fields around Chartres. Efforts were made to enclose infected areas, and to kill and burn all rabbits therein, but without success. During 1953, myxomatosis crossed the French frontiers to neighbouring countries, and even leaped the Channel to Britain. Domestic rabbits are dying by the millions, and shotgun shell factories are closing down because little game is left. Export of pelts has dropped to a trickle.❞ (The Express, Melton, 24 July 1954)

Because there were so many rabbits dying in France, and people were starting to starve because they no longer had meat to eat ❝ The Pasteur Institute has developed a vaccine to save at least some domestic rabbits by immunisation. ❞ (The Express, Melton, 24 July 1954)

And again, in 1954 they were already questioning rabbit immunity to the virus. In the 1954 Gippsland Times article it says: ❝ Dr. S. M. Rendel, Officer in Charge of CSIRO’s animal genetics unit, reported on investigations to examine whether rabbits which recover from the disease can transmit their immunity to their off-spring. The possibility must he faced that a rabbit population may develop which is highly resistant to myxomatosis… there is possibility of rabbits [becoming] resistant to myxomatosis [and] breeding up in larger numbers, our present advantage over the rabbit is in danger. ❞

Here are some poignant points from The Argus’ article It took rabbits to panic France, Wed 7 July 1954:

❝ There were some amusing comments, in the foreign Press, suggesting that French chefs were angry because the extermination of the rabbit would compel them to revise many of their chicken recipes as well. ❞

❝ The Communist paper, “Humanité,” made full use of the coincidence to illustrate, through the example of myxomatosis, [saying] that scientists simply do not know how to control biological events. ❞

Back in Australia…

By 1995, the rabbits became genetically immune to myxomatosis and increased to 300 million. That’s when the wet-area European rabbit flea and the arid-area Spanish flea were introduced with minimal impact.

In a Nota article on Fri 1 Sep, 1995, called Fleas released, says: ❝ The first of half a million Spanish fleas to be released into New South Wales mis year have been placed in rabbit warrens in the Tenterfield district Spanish fleas act as carriers of the virus which causes myxomatosis. However; the flea itself does not kill rabbits. Rabbit Zoologist John Robertshaw, said the Spanish fleas were brought to Australia in 1990 and have been bread at the Queensland Department of Lands Robert Wicks Research station at Inglewood. “Spanish fleas are very safe on Aussie natives because they only breed on rabbits and a few rats. They are able to exist in low numbers on other animals and will be there if rabbits come back,” he said. “Fleas are being spread throughout western NSW and Queensland, northern south Australia and southern Northern Territory in a large scale coordinated program involving landholders, Landcare groups, Rural Lands Protection Boards and state government agencies.” Rural Lands Protection Boards in the Western Division of NSW and the Australian Nature Conservation Authority have paid for the breeding and distribution of the fleas in NSW. ❞

That’s when the CSIRO introduced Calicivirus, because myxomatosis and the fleas were an absolute failure.

What is Myxo?

It is a poxvirus, which vertebrates and arthropods are natural hosts. There are currently 83 different species of poxvirus, including chickenpox, monkeypox and cowpox.

There are two strains of myxomatosis, the Californian and South American. The Brazilain myxoma (which was introduced into Australia) circulates in the jungle rabbit (tapeti (Sylvilagus brasiliensis)), where the Californian myxoma circulates through the bush rabbit (Sylvilagus bachmani). In native hosts, it turns into a cancerous fibroma rather than a viral disease.

It is passed on mosquito and flea mouth parts, and can also be passed through contact with contaminated fomites (poop and pee).

Can humans get Myxoma?

MYXV only harms rabbits. However it has been known to kill cancer cells in humans.

Symptoms

• Swelling, redness, ulcers and discharge around the eyes, nose and genitals.
• Blindness caused by eye inflammation.
• Respiratory problems.
• Appetite loss.
• More deadly strains of the myxoma virus can cause death before symptoms appear.

You can check the Feral Scan website to see where Myxo is near you.

Here’s a link to ABC’s report about Myxomatosis – keep in mind this article has incorrect information in it – it says that Myxo was released in the 1930s, when it was actually released in the 1950’s. Does that mean the rest of the information in the article is incorrect?

❝ The Gunbower failure seemed like simply another in a list of failed Australian trials dating back to the late 1930s. ❞

Research Gate has an in depth article about Myxo – it has disturbing images.