Current Research

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Research Priorities

Current Research

The Foundation for Rabbit-Free Australia is currently supporting:

RHDV virulence mechanisms

Elena Smertina (CSIRO) aims to identify cell types that are susceptible to rabbit caliciviruses and determine the sites in rabbits where new virus variants emerge. That knowledge will accelerate the generation of new virus variants that can be screened for strains that are prospective rabbit biocontrols.

The research will be conducted in laboratories using organoids, cell structures with the characteristics of organs, avoiding the use of live rabbits and fast-tracking the trials.

Virus recombination, the sharing of genetic material between viruses, is a major source of new virus strains. Identifying which cell types support calicivirus recombination in rabbits will fill a knowledge gap to tightly focus future biocontrol research.

Virus diagnostics

Dr Grant Hansman (Griffith University) plans to develop nanobody-based, virus-specific reagents to be used in diagnostic testing for rabbit and hare viruses, including caliciviruses. The reagents will also be of use in other research into viruses affecting rabbits and hares (lagomorphs).

Another outcome from the project will be further development of a lateral flow assay, i.e. a Rapid Antigen Test, for caliciviruses arising from a previous Rabbit-Free Australia supported project.

Nanobody-based antigen tests have several advantages compared to traditional antigen tests currently used to test rabbit samples for RHDV. They can be very strain-specific and are easily reproduced in different laboratories while still resulting in very consistent outputs.

Rabbit ghost town

Rabbit haven turned ghost town. Rabbit numbers in a traditional stronghold, the Strzelecki Desert, have plummeted since the arrival of RHDV, and stayed very low in contrast to reports from other areas. This project, led by Reece Pedlar (UNSW), aims to determine why, using long-term monitoring data and sampling of rabbits for biocontrol presence.

Removing rabbits to restore habitat

Menna Jones (University of Tasmania) will lead this project to test if targeted removal of rabbit warrens will allow vegetation to recover and reduce cat presence, to expand and connect habitat for native wildlife. The project will develop evidence-based guidelines for ecosystem restoration.

Rebuilding serology capacity

Rebuilding rabbit biocontrol serology capacity. RHDV1, RHDV2 and myxoma virus serology assays will be established by Kandarp Patel at the University of Adelaide, filling the gap in serology capacity in Australia while also taking the opportunity to refine and re-evaluate the assays.

Gammaherpesvirus in Australia

David Peacock (University of Adelaide) will investigate if a gammaherpesvirus recently discovered overseas occurs in Australia and, in the process, learn more about the genetic origins of wild rabbits in Australia.

National Feral Rabbit Management Coordination

This project (managed by the Centre for Invasive Species Solutions) will appoint a National Feral Rabbit Management Coordinator to increase capability and the adoption of best practice (science-based) rabbit control across Australia.

Ethics & Welfare: Issues affecting rabbit control

Led by Ben Allen this project will use national workshops to better understand the ethical and animal welfare aspects of rabbit control to develop resource materials to help managers ensure their practices meet community expectations.

Rabbit nuclear transfer – Genetic biocontrol.

Nuclear transfer can produce genetically modified embroys, but has been challenging to achieve in rabbits. Ellen Cottingham (University of Melbourne) aims to overcome that hurdle.

Spermatogonial Stem Cells: Genetic biocontrol

Spermatogonial Stem Cells (SSCs) offer an alternative way to introduce genetic modifications in mammals, but applications in rabbits have been limited by short survival times. Stephen Frankenberg (University of Melbourne) will search for genes able to maintain SSCs for longer periods.

Open Access – Journal publications

In the interests of ensuring as wide a readership as possible for important journal articles, the Foundation has covered the costs of ‘open access’ publication for several documents.

Two documents are under preparation, drawing on work conducted as part of PhD studies by Amy Iannella, which the Foundation supported. Both will make important findings available to a wide audience.

One will report the finding that immune genes may differ between east and west coast rabbits in Australia – possibly explaining the differential impact of RHDV2 in different states. The second concerns the reproductive strategy and gene flow of rabbits at the Turretfield long term monitoring site, including evidence of multiple paternity and frequent mating outside of social groups, and the importance of RHDV outbreak/birth timing in juvenile survival.