Evidence for Existence, Transmissibility, and Pathogenicity of Rabies lyssavirus in Dogs or Humans
Dear Department of Agriculture Fisheries & Forestry (DAFF),
I am requesting the documentation that the DAFF has to demonstrate that the Rabies lyssavirus exists; transmits from one dog to another dog or human; and causes the symptoms of the Rabies disease.
The conditions of my request include:
- The documentation must show, via photographic evidence or by other means deemed valid, the Rabies lyssavirus isolated from all other materials.
- The isolated Rabies lyssavirus exposed to organic living organisms (humans, dogs, or cell cultures) that was previously uninfected by the Rabies lyssavirus.
- The infected organic living organisms express symptoms of the Rabies disease.
If these conditions cannot be met, I am requesting any documentation that the DAFF has that demonstrates the existence, transmissibility, and pathogenicity of the Rabies lyssavirus exists.
Yours faithfully,
Sam Mostyn.
Dear Sam Mostyn
Acknowledgement of your Freedom of Information Request No: LEX 31951
I refer to your request, received by the Department of Agriculture,
Fisheries and Forestry on 17 July 2024 for access to documents under the
Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act) made in the following terms:
‘I am requesting the documentation that the DAFF has to demonstrate that
the Rabies lyssavirus exists; transmits from one dog to another dog or
human; and causes the symptoms of the Rabies disease.
The conditions of my request include:
- The documentation must show, via photographic evidence or by other means
deemed valid, the Rabies lyssavirus isolated from all other materials.
- The isolated Rabies lyssavirus exposed to organic living organisms
(humans, dogs, or cell cultures) that was previously uninfected by the
Rabies lyssavirus.
- The infected organic living organisms express symptoms of the Rabies
disease.
If these conditions cannot be met, I am requesting any documentation that
the DAFF has that demonstrates the existence, transmissibility, and
pathogenicity of the Rabies lyssavirus exists.’
Your address
The FOI Act requires that you provide us with an address which we can send
notices to. You have advised your electronic address is
[1][FOI #11704 email]. We will send all notices
and correspondence to this address.
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be redacted under section 22 of the FOI Act.
Further assistance
If you have any questions please email [2][email address].
Regards,
FOI Contact Officer | Legal Division
E: [3][email address]
Dear Sam Mostyn
I refer to your request, received by the Department of Agriculture,
Fisheries and Forestry on 17 July 2024 for access to documents under the
Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act) made in the following terms:
‘I am requesting the documentation that the DAFF has to demonstrate that
the Rabies lyssavirus exists; transmits from one dog to another dog or
human; and causes the symptoms of the Rabies disease.
The conditions of my request include:
- The documentation must show, via photographic evidence or by other means
deemed valid, the Rabies lyssavirus isolated from all other materials.
- The isolated Rabies lyssavirus exposed to organic living organisms
(humans, dogs, or cell cultures) that was previously uninfected by the
Rabies lyssavirus.
- The infected organic living organisms express symptoms of the Rabies
disease.
If these conditions cannot be met, I am requesting any documentation that
the DAFF has that demonstrates the existence, transmissibility, and
pathogenicity of the Rabies lyssavirus exists.’
Relevant information regarding your request
We believe that the information you’re requesting is already in the public
domain. Following is a short summary of key events in the history of
rabies virus isolation, imaging and transmission.
o The first rabies transmission studies were conducted in the early
1880s by Louis Pasteur and Émile Roux. Their work on this issue was
primarily documented through presentations and publications to the
French Academy of Sciences in the late 19th century. One of the key
publications is titled "Method for Preventing Rabies after Bite,"
which was presented to the French Academy of Sciences in 1885.
o The rabies virus was first isolated by the Italian bacteriologist
Adelchi Negri. His paper titled "Contributo allo studio dell'eziologia
della rabbia" (Contribution to the Study of the Etiology of Rabies)
was published in the journal Bollettino della Società
medico-chirurgica di Pavia in 1903.
o The first imaging of the rabies virus by electron microscopy was
detailed by Clark and Murphy in the Journal of Virology in 1962 in
their paper "Rabies Virus: The Fine Structure as Revealed by Electron
Microscopy."
o Since this early work, the rabies virus has been isolated many times
by different research groups around the world, multiple transmission
studies have been carried out in various species of animal and many
high quality electron microscopy images of the rabies virus are
readily available via a simple web search.
If you are interested in more comprehensive information about the rabies
virus, there is a lot of information available from the World Health
Organisation (WHO) ([1]Rabies (who.int)) and World Organisation for Animal
Health (WOAH) ([2]Rabies - WOAH - World Organisation for Animal Health).
In particular, WOAH provides detailed technical information about this
virus, including a reference list pointing to relevant original research
here: [3]Rabies (woah.org)
Regarding the department’s work specifically, the department doesn’t
generally revisit early research proving the existence of the rabies
virus; this concept is generally well accepted in the scientific
community. The department’s focus is on issues pertinent to effective and
efficient rabies risk management. In January 2023 the department published
a “Review of rabies virus risk in imported dogs, cats and canine semen
from approved countries.” This includes a comprehensive reference list of
research relevant to the issue. The publication is available here:
[4]Review of rabies virus risk in imported dogs, cats and canine semen
from approved countries final report (agriculture.gov.au)
If it would be useful, the relevant technical area responsible for rabies
risk management in imported companion animals would be happy to discuss
your request with you directly. If this is something of interest to you,
please let us know and we can provide your contact details to the relevant
area to discuss your queries further.
Request to withdraw FOI request
Given the above additional information, we would appreciate if you could
confirm if you are happy for your request with the department to be
withdrawn. We would appreciate your response by COB Monday 29 July 2024.
Regards,
FOI Contact Officer | Legal Division
E: [5][email address]
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
GPO BOX 858 CANBERRA ACT 2601
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References
Visible links
1. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheet...
2. https://www.woah.org/en/disease/rabies/
3. https://www.woah.org/fileadmin/Home/eng/...
4. https://www.agriculture.gov.au/sites/def...
5. mailto:[email address]
6. mailto:[FOI #11704 email]
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Dear Department of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Forestry,
Thank you for the response.
However, unfortunately the request was not fulfilled.
I requested documentation that demonstrates, via photographic evidence or other means deemed valid, the isolation of the Rabies lyssavirus (isolation = the separation of one thing from all other things).
The Pasteur; Negri; and Clark and Murphy references do not separate viral particles from all other materials. This condition was included in the request because the transmissibility and pathogenicity of a particle cannot be proven without the prior isolation of the particle. For example, throwing a tool box at a protruding nail does not prove that the hammer can hit the nail into the wall, instead, the hammer must be removed from the tool box (isolation) before striking the protruding nail to determine whether or not the hammer can hit the nail into the wall.
Furthermore, regarding transmissibility, Pasteur blended brain tissue and/or spinal cords from one animal before injecting the blended biological matter into the brain tissue of another animal. I am merely revealing this method because unnatural interaction negates the researchers ability to determine whether it is the independent variable, or the experimental design, that is the cause of the symptoms of disease.
May I request an internal review of this matter to determine the existence, transmissibility, and pathogenicity of Rabies lyssavirus in Dogs or Humans in accordance with the conditions set forth in the initial correspondence: Request No: LEX 31951.
May I request that the FOI Officer avoids statements such as, "this concept is generally well accepted in the scientific community", as I am not seeking the opinions of a group, but rather, I am seeking the scientific documentation that is the foundation for the DAFF's "rabies risk management".
Yours sincerely,
Sam Mostyn
Dear Sam Mostyn
Thank you for your below correspondence. We note that correspondence provided on 24 July 2024 was to seek clarification on your request and provide you with further information. As such, we have not treated your email of 29 July 2024 as a request for internal review rather a response to the clarification email on the scope of your FOI we sent on 24 July 2024.
Please note that your Freedom of Information (FOI) request is still ongoing, and a decision is due to be notified to you by 16 August 2024.
Regards,
FOI Contact Officer | Legal Division
E: [email address]
__________________________________________¬_
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
GPO BOX 858 CANBERRA ACT 2601
This email and any attachments may contain information subject to legal professional privilege or information that is otherwise sensitive or confidential. If you are not the intended recipient of this email, you are prohibited from using or disseminating this communication. If you have received this communication in error please notify the sender immediately and permanently delete this email.
Dear Sam Mostyn
Please find attached correspondence from the Department of Agriculture,
Fisheries and Forestry in relation to your FOI request (LEX 31951).
Regards,
FOI Contact Officer | Legal Division
E: [1][email address]