VIRAL HEMORRHAGIC-DISEASE OF RABBITS AND HUMAN HEALTH

Viral haemorrhagic disease of rabbits (VHD), a potential biological co ntrol for wild rabbits in Australia and New Zealand, escaped from quar antined field trials on Wardang Island and spread to the mainland of A ustralia in October 1995. This study looked for any evidence of infect ion or illness in people occupationally exposed to the virus. Two hund red and sixty-nine people were interviewed and 259 blood samples were collected. Exposures to VHD-infected rabbits ranged from nil to very h igh. No VHD antibodies were detected in any of the 259 sera when teste d by VHD competitive enzyme immunoassay, which had been validated with 1013 VHDV-specific antibody negative sera. A questionnaire designed t o elicit symptoms of disease in a range of organ systems found no sign ificant differences between illness in those exposed and those not exp osed to VHD, nor could an association be found between exposure and su bsequent episodes of illness. The findings are consistent with the vie w that exposure to VHD is not associated with infection or disease in humans.