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A cross‐sectional study of risk factors affecting the outcome of rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus releases in New South Wales
Author(s) -
LUGTON IW
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
australian veterinary journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.382
H-Index - 59
eISSN - 1751-0813
pISSN - 0005-0423
DOI - 10.1111/j.1751-0813.1999.tb10274.x
Subject(s) - outbreak , odds ratio , veterinary medicine , population , cross sectional study , infestation , transmission (telecommunications) , odds , biology , medicine , demography , environmental health , virology , agronomy , pathology , electrical engineering , sociology , engineering , logistic regression
Objective To determine what factors governed the extent of outbreaks of rabbit haemorrhagic disease (RHD) following releases in New South Wales. Design Retrospective cross‐sectional study. Procedure Information from the data set of offici al releases was subjected to two preliminary analyses. More comprehensive information on a subsample of official RHD releases, sites and animals was gathered by telephone survey of Rural Lands Protection Board staff and farmers. Data were analysed using multivariate techniques to determine which factors were associated with rabbit mortality within one month of RHDV release, within several months of release and in affecting the proportion of the population killed. Results Astrong association was found between the presence of heavy flea infestation (odds ratio 2.7), breeding in rabbits and outbreaks of RHD. For each week following breeding there was an 8% decline in the odds of an outbreak. Low temperatures also promoted outbreaks. Less important effects included the prior presence of RHD at the release site, which reduced the likelihood and severity of outbreaks. The presence of cattle and proximity to the nearest water body were associated with increased severity and likelihood of outbreaks respectively. Conclusion Both breeding of rabbits and associated high flea numbers may act together or independently in promoting outbreaks of RHD. Stresses involved with rabbit reproduction and low environmental temperatures also appear to influence the likelihood of outbreaks. The effects of proximity to cattle and water suggests that both flies and mosquitoes may have a minor role in local transmission.