[RCD] What's in a name? by Brian Cooke

[Guest guest]

2001 Rabbit Control Forum

-The next 50 years

 

Thursday 25 October 2001

at CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems

" Gungahlin Homestead "

Crace

Canberra

ACT

Australia

 

 

25 October 2001

 

What's in a Name?

 

When the idea of using a calicivirus to control wild rabbits in Australia

was

first considered there was much discussion about the name it should be

given.

In China and in Europe, it had been known by a variety of names including

viral

haemorrhagic pneumonia and viral haemorrhagic disease. However, because the

virus causing the disease was known to be a rabbit specific calicivirus, and

because

the virus caused coagulation of the blood rather than haemorrhage, it was

considered that

a " neutral " name such as rabbit calicivirus disease (RCD) might be a better

description.

Calling the virus Rabbit Calicivirus (RCV) also fitted in with the pattern

of names already established for the calicivirus in cats, Feline Calicivirus

(FCV) and for the human caliciviruses (HCV's).

 

However, things are never simple or logical. Since that time, the official

name for the

rabbit disease has become more firmly accepted in the scientific literature

as rabbit

haemorrhagic disease or RHD. In addition, Lorenzo Capucci and others in

Italy have

discovered a related calicivirus, which causes no disease in rabbits, that

they have called RCV.

As a result, we have little option but to follow current international use

of these names and

abandon our earlier use of terms such as RCV to describe the lethal virus

currently

in use in Australia.

 

At this forum,you will no doubt hear the virus referred to by several names,

such as RCV

and RHDV, and the disease it caused will similarly be variable in name (RCD

or RHD). It is difficult

to change names established by common use for those preferred by the

scientific community.

However, we are talking about the same virus!

 

Brian Cooke

CSIRO Sustainable Ecosytems

& Pest Animal Control CRC

 

****************************************************

Historical Note from Rabbit Information Service re the change of name of RHD

to RCD

by Australian authorities. The OIE publication had already named RHD as

Viral Hemorrhagic Disease

of Rabbits long before Australia decided to adopt " RCD " a " common name " for

RHD which led to much

confusion around the world. When I wrote to the authorities to complain

about the name change, I

was told there was nothing wrong with adopting a common name for a disease

such as RHD i.e.RCD.

I disagreed strongly with the confusing name change and also with the

Australian authorities denial

RHD caused hemorrhage (RHD has been observed causing hemorrhages along with

coagulation - rabbits in the UK had been seen with blood coming out the

nose, mouth and anus prior to death as we;; as screaming in pain).

Furthermore, here is an article I wrote quoting " Science " magazine on the

issue.

 

Australian scientists wanted to use RHD to kill wild European rabbits in

Australia who they deemed to be a " pest species " and the use of the word

" hemorrhagic " may have upset the Australian public. In Science magazine

(Volume 272, 12th April 1996) officials from Australian Animal Health

Laboratories were quoted as " pleading guilty to a bit of spin control:They

acknowledge that attempting to use the term Rabbit Calicivirus Disease

instead of RHD, to make the virus seem more innocuous , was an ill-conceived

public relations ploy " . In a nutshell, Australian authorities deliberately

mis-informed the Australian public as to what RHD really does to rabbits

(causes hemorrhaging) - by deliberately omitting the word " hemorrhagic " and

replacing it with " calicivirus " . The OIE (International Office of Epizootics

in France) named the disease Viral Hemorrhagic Disease of Rabbits in 1989

[scientific and Technical Review , OIE, Volume 10, No 2 - Viral Hemorrhagic

Disease of Rabbits and the European Brown Hare Syndrome]].

 

Lastly, Australia never approached world experts on caliciviruses for their

opinions on the safety aspects

of spreading RHD. Later, when many experts on viruses and caliciviruses were

approached by independent researchers, they gave opinions which stated that

the use of RHD as a biocontrol agent was not safe.

See http://www.iinet.net.au/~rabbit/sci.htm

Also, RHD is NOT species specific to rabbits See

http://www.iinet.net.au/~rabbit/hares.htm

And for the latest RHD news including USA outbreaks see

http://www.iinet.net.au/~rabbit/decnewsr.htm