Biosecurity Queensland’s principal veterinary epidemiologist Dr Hume Field will travel to Paris next year to update the animal health code on rabies with the latest scientific knowledge and concepts.

State Minister for Primary Industries Tim Mulherin said Dr Field was a world-renowned expert on emerging infectious diseases related to bats.

"Following the first incidence of Hendra virus in 1995, Dr Field investigated the origin of the virus and the possibility it was transmitted from native wildlife to horses," he said.

"He played a key role in identifying fruit bats as the natural hosts of Hendra virus and researched and described the natural history of Australian bat lyssavirus."

Part of Dr Field’s current research is trying to understand Hendra and lyssavirus and how bats can host the diseases and remain immune to them.

Dr Field was also involved with the response to the incidence of Hendra in 2008 at Redlands in south east Queensland.

At the moment, he is focusing on what causes Hendra virus and lyssavirus to emerge in bats and ways of mitigating the associated risks.

Dr Field was recently awarded the Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries Australia Day Award.

Dr Field said the international working group needed to review and revise the OIE Terrestrial Code and Manual on diagnostic tests and vaccines for rabies.

“The code needs to reflect advances in science and our knowledge about new strains of the bat disease lyssavirus,” he said.

“We will also be reviewing the recent research developments and research initiatives for rabies around the world.”

Rabies and other lyssaviruses (such as Australian bat lyssavirus) can infect all warm-blooded animals, including humans, often leading to a fatal inflammation of the brain.

There are currently seven genotypes recognised within the genus lyssavirus. These are rabies virus, Lagos bat virus, Mokola virus, Duvenhage virus, the European bat lyssaviruses (1 and 2), and Australian bat lyssavirus.

Dr Field will attend the meeting from January 12-13, 2010 at the OIE Headquarters in Paris.

* For more information on zoonotic (animal) diseases visit www.dpi.qld.gov.au or call the Business Information Centre on 13 25 23.