Biological Control of Vertebrate Pests: The History of Myxomatosis, an Experiment in Evolution

by Frank J. Fenner and Bernardino Fantini

Biological control is a common and cost-effective way of controlling insect pests and weeds, but it has been ineffective for the control of vertebrate pests. The only successful examples are the use of myxomatosis and rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus to control rabbits in Australia. This book provides an authoritative account of biological control of vertebrate pests in general and of myxomatosis in particular. It describes in detail the natural history of myxoma virus in American rabbits and the history of its introduction into European rabbits. The changes in rabbit and virus over the period of forty years provide a classic example of the coevolution of a virus and its host. The book then describes rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus, which has been spreading in Australia for only three years but is proving an effective means to control pests. The book is a useful resource for veterinarians, zoologists, pest management scientists, and historians of science.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0851993230
• ISBN13: 9780851993232
• Release Date: December 1999
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 2.04 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 7.1" x 9.9"