Status: Completed
Start date: 21 June 2017
Completion date: 21 August 2019
Project code: CT-69
Species/Threats: European rabbits
Rabbits have a number of parasites that are specific to them and that can impact their survival through direct mortality, or by impacting on physical condition or potentially exacerbating the impacts of other rabbit diseases such as myxomatosis or rabbit haemorrhagic disease.
This project used genetic testing to assess and validate the distribution of Eimeria intestinalis and Eimeria flavescens – recognised as the most pathogenic rabbit coccidian parasites in Australia – as a new rabbit biocontrol agents.
Eimeria are intestinal parasites and the two most pathogenic species were previously only recorded in a few isolated populations of rabbits.
Peacock D, Croxford A, Iannella A, Kovaliski J, Lavazza A, Cooke B, Spratt D, Strive T, Taggart D, Campbell C, Robinson S and Sawyers S (2022) Using genetic analysis to determine the distribution, prevalence and diversity of Eimeria species in pest rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) in Australia
Parasitology International 91. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.parint.2022.102642