RABBIT VIRUS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 1870, 27 September 1906, Page 4

RABBIT VIRUS.

MUSS ASSOCIATION —COI’YIUUIIT. Sydney, Sept. 20. Or. TiilsweH's report shows that the animals aiul birds were fed upon artificially prepared baits and infected with dead rabbits or materials contaminated therewith. They were made to inhale virus exposed to contagion from sick and dead rabbits, and were finally inoculated with tho virus. By all these processes rabbits were killed readily enough, but by none of them wore any other animals affected, save only by inoculation.. The inoculation proved as fatal to pigeons as rabbits, and usually caused death Seagulls and magpies wero sometimes killed Guinea pigs, crows, rats, fowls, sheep, and monkeys proved resistant even to this violent method of infection. The results however do not imply that tho vims can be spread by inoculation from rabbits to birds in the held. At the same time observations arc needed before tjio virus could be pronounced safe for distribution broadcast over the land. The experiments have demonstrated that the virus is not infective to human beings. It and diseased carcases wore freely handled by the operators without precautions. Tho Browongle station Inis successfully employed the Kangaroobic system, fifty rabbits, with cotton waste saturated with bisulphide of carbon fastened to their legs, were released at the mouths of burrows, which for two days after remained closed. There is convincing evidence that tho bisulphide has done its work.