RESPONSE OF THE NORTH-ISLAND BROWN KIWI, APTERYX-AUSTRALIS-MANTELLI AND THE LESSER SHORT-TAILED BAT, MYSTACINA-TUBERCULATA TO A MEASURED DOSE OF RABBIT HEMORRHAGIC-DISEASE VIRUS

Four North Island brown kiwis and six lesser short-tailed bats were in oculated intramuscularly with 300 000 rabbit lethal doses of rabbit ha emorrhagic disease (RHD) virus. No clinical abnormalities were observe d in the kiwis and bats throughout the study period. Although no virae mia was detected in any of the kiwis, all four birds produced a serolo gical response to RHD virus above the positive cut-off by 14 days afte r inoculation, and in two of the birds, antibodies persisted for over 5 months. Two kiwis were killed 48 days after inoculation. Their tissu es were examined for lesions, and for the presence of persistent virus by both reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and by inocul ation of tissue suspensions into rabbits. No gross or histological les ions suggestive of a viral infection were detected and tests for detec tion of virus were negative. The serological response in the kiwis was probably due to the birds responding to viral antigen in the inoculum rather than to multiplication of the virus. None of the bats showed a serological response to RHD virus above the positive cut-off by 14 da ys after inoculation and the results of the pathological and virologic al examinations were negative.