Eric French contributed greatly to the early Australian studies on New
castle disease virus, producing the foundations on which subsequent Au
stralian studies were based. In 1964 he conducted the first major sero
logical survey for Newcastle disease in the Australian poultry flock,
and showed that the pathotypes of the virus recognised at that time we
re not present. After the isolation of strain V4 in 1966, he initiated
some of the first studies on the nature of this strain. In particular
, he demonstrated the avirulence of this virus, its ability to infect
chickens when delivered orally with food and its potential utility as
a vaccine. Subsequent studies by other workers included the developmen
t of strain V4 as a conventional vaccine and as a vaccine suitable for
use in village chickens.