Scientists are on the verge of controlling Australia's feral rabbit plague with a virus that could make four in every five female rabbits sterile. The Co-operative Research Centre for Pest Animal Control near Canberra has found 80 per cent of female rabbits in a captive colony were sterile after being infected with an engineered strain of once-deadly myxoma virus. The latest virus does not kill.

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(NB: I have a hard time believing the engineered Myxoma virus mentioned below does not kill. I believe Myxomatosis is by far the greatest killer virus of pet rabbits and most probably wild rabbits in Australia). Perhaps the "milder non-lethal strain of Myxomatosis" could recombine with the deadlier strain of Californian Myxomatosis seen in Australia to become to ultimate killer of rabbits (ie rabbits not sterilised are killed). On the brighter side, with the over population of humans on this planet, perhaps this virus will escape containment and somehow sterilise humans. I wonder if the GE'd Myxoma virus has been tested on primates? Anyone want to volunteer???? M.





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