I found this interesting.
Australia has one of the most active research groups in the world in this area, since the Australian environment suffers from many pest animals that were introduced and have no natural predators.
New Scientist reports that Australian researchers have created a highly infectious rabbit virus (myxoma) that could wipe out the country's rabbit pests by making them sterile. Infected female rabbits produce antibodies against their own eggs, a process called immunocontraception. The team has already applied for permission to carry out field trials with a similar virus that makes European mice infertile.
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Posted by ellen at October 03, 2003 09:33 PM
The downside is that the viruses could be accidentally transferred to another continent. Another worry is that the virus could spread to other species, but the modified virus is no more likely to do this than the wild strain, which has not done this in the 50 years it is been in Australia. For Australia's worst feral predator, the fox, the team has not been able to identify a virus that does not also infect domestic and wild dogs, including dingoes. So they plan to modify a canine herpes virus so it can only replicate when an antibiotic such as tetracyline is present. The virus and antibiotic would be added to baits that are irresistible to foxes, but are shunned by dogs and dingoes. Because the virus doesn't infect any native mammals, they would be safe even if they ate the baits.
You may recall this team was mentioned in connection with an extremely dangerous mousepox strain last January.
Post script, added Nov. 9: An American team has improved on the deadly mouspox strain, but also created a countermeasure of anti-viral drugs.
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