I'm responding to your e-mail of August 24, 2001, regarding the name the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is using to refer to the disease outbreak affecting rabbits in Utah.
I apologize for not being able to get back to you sooner. As I indicated, I am a member of Etherbun in a personal capacity, but I work in a professional capacity with APHIS' Legislative and Public Affairs office. I have spoken with a veterinarian on our Emergency Programs staff, Dr. Randall Crom, and he has indicated that APHIS shares your concerns about the term "rabbit calicivirus disease" In the future, APHIS will begin officially using the name used by the OIE to designate this disase--most likely "rabbit hemorrhagic disease." It will probably take a little while for us to update our official publications, however.
I hope this information is helpful. We appreciate your input.
Sincerely,
Christina Myers
Legislative and Public Affairs
APHIS
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fwd...my letter to APHIS and the USDA
Dear Madam/Sir,
Apparently APHIS is investigating an outbreak of Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease in Utah. It seems APHIS is using the name "rabbit calicivirus disease, or RCD" in error and this is causing confusion around the world.
I am very interested in why APHIS are calling Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease (Viral Hemorrhagic Disease of Rabbits) by the incorrect name of Rabbit Calicivirus Disease.
Rabbit Calicivirus Disease was a "common name" incorrectly adopted by the Australian authorities for Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease. The OIE (International Office of Epizootics) and the rest of the world use the correct name of Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease. APHIS and the USDA are causing confusion by using the incorrect name of RCD.
I believe there is a non-lethal virus named Rabbit Calicivirus .
I believe the name Rabbit Calicivirus has been put forth for international
recognition
by a Dr Capucci in Italy
who has referred to this non-lethal form of calicivirus as "Rabbit
Calicivirus".
This disease may have been submitted to the The International Committee on
Taxonomy of Viruses to be listed by the name "Rabbit Calicivirus".
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ICTV/
"A non-pathogenic rabbit calicivirus, thought to be the ancestor of
pathogenic Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease (RHD) virus, has been identified in
Europe (Capucci et at 1996, J Virology 70: 8614-23), and it appears to
impart immunity to the pathogenic virus (Chasey et at 1997, First
International Symposium on Caliciviruses, pp 1 56~62). "
http://www.iinet.net.au/~rabbit/nzrcdsem.htm
I would suggest if the name Rabbit Calicivirus is registered as the non-lethal strain of calicivirus and the USA perpetuates the myth that RCD is killing rabbits in the USA, there may be great confusion around the world.
I manage an information site about Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease and I have already had to spend time answering questions from researchers as to why my website contains news items saying RCD kills rabbits when it doesn't (they insist the name Rabbit Calicivirus refers to the non-lethal strain of calicivirus Dr Capucci has spoken about).
I would be very appreciative of an answer on this issue.
I notice Promed, a USA based information provider of news about infectious disease outbreaks around the world, is referring to the outbreak in Utah (correctly) as Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease.
Please let me know if APHIS and the USDA will start using the correct name of Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease instead of RCD.
You can verify my information by looking at the OIE website (under Viral Hemorrhagic Disease of Rabbits or Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease) Also see the http://www.iah.bbsrc.ac.uk/virus/Caliciviridae/ICTVnews.htm for classifications.
Scientists in the USA who are involved with the classification of
caliciviruses
are listed on the website above.
They include Dr David Matson and Dr Alvin Smith.
I suggest you write to both of these scientists if you have any questions
about the name
"Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease".
http://www.iah.bbsrc.ac.uk/virus/Caliciviridae/StudyGroup.htm
Dr. David O. Matson
Virginia Med. School
855 West Brambleton Avenue
Norfolk, Virginia 23510
phone: 757 668-6423
Fax: 757 668-6476
email : dmatson@chkd.com
Dr. A.W.Smith
College of Veterinary Medicine
Oregon State University
Dryden Hall 106
Corvallis
Oregon
USA
Phone: 1.541.737.2318
Fax: 1.541.737.2730
email alvin.smith@orst.edu
Kind regards,
Marguerite Wegner
Rabbit Information Service
Western Australia
rabbit@iinet.net.au
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