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Surveillance
MINISTRY FOR PRIMARY INDUSTRIES REPORTING ON NEW ZEALAND’S BIOSECURITY HEALTH STATUS
VOLUME 41, NO 2, JUNE 2014
INSIDE:
INSIDE:
Quarterly report of investigations of suspected exotic diseases
Plants and environment investigation report
Quarterly report of investigations of suspected exotic marine and freshwater
The Emerging
Risks System
pests
and diseases
Costs of surveillance trapping
Biosecurity risks associated with on-line trading
Pest Watch
Surveillance
ISSN 1176-5305
Surveillance is published on behalf of the
Director IDC and Response (Veronica Herrera).
The articles in this quarterly report do not
necessarily reflect government policy.
Editor: Michael Bradstock
Technical Editors: Jonathan Watts,
Lora Peacock
Correspondence and requests to receive
Surveillance should be addressed to:
Editor
Surveillance
Ministry for Primary Industries
PO Box 2526
Wellington, New Zealand
email: [email protected]
Reproduction: Articles in Surveillance may be
reproduced (except for commercial use or on
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proper acknowledgement is made to the author
and Surveillance as source.
Publication: Surveillance is published quarterly
in March, June, September and December.
Distribution via email is free of charge for
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Editorial services: Words & Pictures, Wellington
www.wordpict.co.nz
Surveillance is available on the
Ministry for Primary Industries website at
www.mpi.govt.nz/publications/surveillance/
index.htm
Articles from previous issues are also available
to subscribers to SciQuest®, a fully indexed
and searchable e-library of New Zealand and
Australian veterinary and animal science and
veterinary continuing education publications,
at www.sciquest.org.nz
Contents
Editorial
The Emerging Risks System
ANIMALS
Reports
The MPI Animal General Surveillance Programme
3
5
Quarterly reports: January to March 2014
Quarterly review of diagnostic cases: January to March 2014
9
Quarterly report of investigations of suspected exotic diseases
16
MARINE AND FRESHWATER
Quarterly report of investigations of suspected exotic marine and freshwater pests and diseases 20
PLANTS AND ENVIRONMENT
Reports
Weighing up the costs of surveillance trapping and the likely
benefits from avoiding future pest damage
Biosecurity risks associated with trading on line and gifts from
overseas
Plants and environment investigation report PEST WATCH: 15 February – 16 May 2014
21
24
25
26
Surveillance is published as the Ministry for Primary Industries’ authoritative source of information on
the ongoing biosecurity surveillance activity and the health status of New Zealand’s animal and plant
populations in both terrestrial and aquatic environments. It reports information of interest both locally and
internationally and complements New Zealand’s international reporting.
2
surveillance 41 (2) 2014
editorial
THE EMERGING RISKS SYSTEM
Identifying potential and emerging risks is an important
component of effective biosecurity risk management. New
information on global pests and diseases is continually being
generated. From the thousands of reports, MPI needs to
identify and prioritise for action the most significant ones
that change the risk profile for New Zealand. Then that
information needs to get to the right people for effective early
intervention, for example by establishing surveillance systems
and communicating emerging risks to stakeholders.
While MPI staff have always kept watch on new and
emerging pests and diseases, an independent review of
import requirements and border processes regarding the
introduction of Psa (Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae)
into New Zealand recommended that we “renew efforts to
centralise the identification and management of emerging risks”.
Implementation of the Emerging Risks System (ERS) was a key
outcome of the MPI Management Action Plan that constituted
the response to that review. The ERS was implemented in
August 2012 and focused on identifying significant changes
in hosts, distribution or impacts of known organisms, and
the emergence of new ones. It covers terrestrial and aquatic
organisms of concern to plants, animals and people and is to be
extended further into identifying and responding to emerging
food safety risks.
Staff in the Biosecurity Science and Risk Assessment
group actively monitor a small number of important alert
sources to identify potential emerging risks. These include
Promed, European Plant Protection Organisation alerts, the
International Biosecurity Intelligence System and the USDA
PestLens, among others. Other MPI staff and stakeholders,
particularly in industry and research, are also encouraged to
send through any information on emerging risks they think we
should know about.
Alerts are received by email ([email protected]). The
systems administrator will log and acknowledge them, then
forward the information to the appropriate risk analysis team
manager. A “science filter” (i.e. a rapid and documented risk
assessment) is then applied that asks questions like:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Have we looked at this before?
What has changed?
What is the potential for establishment and impact?
Are there viable pathways for establishment?
What does the information tell us about the risk?
Has it changed substantially?
Is it worth considering further?
Is it urgent?
When this assessment indicates a potential emerging risk, it will
be passed to Import Risk Managers for consideration. They will
consider the following questions:
• Are there any identified hosts or associated products that
are eligible for import under a valid Import Health Standard
(IHS)?
• Are there already any pre-export, border or offshore
measures in place to manage the emerging risk?
• Does an IHS need to be amended or suspended?
• Is it urgent?
• Does the information received suggest an urgent change to
border procedures?
• Are there commodities in transit to New Zealand that we
need action on?
• Are we already sufficiently prepared?
• If not, is the risk great enough to warrant making
preparation?
• Are there other factors that make action advisable?
• Do stakeholders need to be involved in this decision?
• What are the communications needs and what audience
needs to be targeted? (This includes internal and external
parties: exporters, importers, NPPOs, the Minister, MPI
officials, etc.)
Other MPI managers are alerted when there is a need to
consider interventions such as readiness plans and surveillance
activities. Forums are also being established to co-ordinate
MPI actions in response to some of the more significant and
complex emerging risks such the brown marmorated stink bug
(Halyomorpha halys). Reports are being generated for frontline
staff to raise awareness of some of the more significant risks.
Where information does not indicate a significant emerging
risk, alerts are closed off and the information filed.
The system monitors the flow of information, including
actions taken by risk managers where appropriate, with
regular reporting across MPI to help us understand our overall
response to emerging risks.
More than a thousand alerts have been processed by the
system since its inception 21 months ago. About a third of
these required rapid risk assessment and about 10 percent
were passed to Import Risk Managers for assessment. The rest
were either closed (when assessment concluded no significant
change in risk profile) or an active monitoring search was set up
within Google or, more recently, the International Biosecurity
Information System (IBIS) administered by the Australian
Department of Agriculture.
3
The new Emerging Risks System substantially improves our
ability to identify, communicate and monitor our responses
to new and emerging risks but it is just one component of a
biosecurity system that manages risks offshore, at the border
and within New Zealand.
Christine Reed
Manager
Biosecurity, Science and Risk Assessment
[email protected]
4
ANIMALS
THE MPI ANIMAL GENERAL SURVEILLANCE PROGRAMME
The Ministry for Primary Industries
(MPI) is the lead organisation in
New Zealand’s biosecurity system,
and through the administration of the
Biosecurity Act 1993 it provides the
regulatory requirements necessary to
protect the economy, environment and
human health from unwanted pests
and diseases. The MPI Surveillance and
Incursion Investigation (S & II) Group
manages New Zealand’s post-border
exotic and emerging pest and disease
surveillance system, which includes
the MPI Animal General Surveillance
Programme. This is a passive and
general surveillance programme with
national coverage that is fundamental to
MPI’s surveillance system fulfilling its
objectives to:
• provide early detection of exotic and
emerging diseases across all domestic
animals and wildlife in terrestrial,
aquatic, and marine environments;
• support New Zealand’s statements of
freedom from pests or diseases and
thus facilitate export trade and the
implementation of appropriate border
controls to prevent introduction of
new unwanted organisms;
• document endemic pest and disease
occurrence in New Zealand;
• support the setting of priorities for
endemic disease control programmes;
and
• support the fulfilment of
New Zealand’s international
reporting obligations, including to
the OIE (World Organisation for
Animal Health).
The role of general
surveillance
The Animal General Surveillance
Programme is a general surveillance
system, i.e. not limited to any particular
animal species or pathogen (OIE, 2011).
The programme’s primary focus is on
sick and dead animals and unusual
organisms. After a disease incident, a
change in the usual pattern of disease
occurrence, or the finding of an unusual
organism, it attempts to determine the
cause of the illness or death, or to identify
the organism.
New Zealand operates a comprehensive Animal General Surveillance
Programme which, combined with appropriate targeted surveillance
programmes, provides for optimal post-border surveillance. An essential
part of our national post-border biosecurity system, general surveillance
aids the early detection of exotic and emerging pests and diseases. General
surveillance also provides evidence to support trade assurances for animal
exports and to support sanitary measures on imported animals and animal
products that aim to protect New Zealand from unwanted pests and diseases.
This is a passive system that relies on
the prompt reporting of unusual disease
events or organisms and also captures
disease occurrence information from
sources other than MPI’s surveillance
programmes. This contrasts with
MPI’s active surveillance programmes,
in which veterinary epidemiologists
determine, through statistical survey
design, the locations and animals to be
observed or sampled (Peacock, 2013;
Rawdon, 2010). The Animal General
Surveillance Programme encourages
everyone in New Zealand to be involved
in surveillance, and thus attempts to use
the greatest possible number of observers
– the general public – to maximise the
likelihood of detecting new or unusual
pests and diseases.
This programme is central to
New Zealand’s post-border surveillance
system because it provides continuous
nationwide surveillance across all
classes of animals, whether free-living
or managed, wild or domestic. Although
many biosecurity risks can be identified
and effectively managed, it is still not
possible to accurately predict future
incursions of pests or diseases: which
will be the next organism, which species
it will affect and where it will first
occur. Therefore, for the best chance of
detecting a new pest or disease as early as
possible, the biosecurity system needs to
be vigilant across all susceptible classes of
animal nationwide. Moreover, members
of the general public may place different
values on the various animal species and
their associated enterprises and therefore
have different surveillance priorities. The
Animal General Surveillance Programme
provides a base level of surveillance
for all animal species, irrespective of
competing priorities.
A well-managed general passive
surveillance system is also recognised as
being best for early detection of emerging
disease (Thrusfield, 2007; OIE, 2011),
a new infection or infestation resulting
from the evolution or change of an
existing pathogenic agent, or a previously
unrecognised pathogenic agent or disease
diagnosed for the first time (OIE, 2013a).
Over time, general surveillance helps
build up a picture of disease occurrence
and distribution, enabling changes in
the pattern of disease occurrence to be
identified by epidemiological analysis.
Identification of such changes can
facilitate early detection of exotic and
emerging infectious diseases (Rawdon,
2007; McFadden 2007).
The international expectation is that
all countries trading in animals and
animal products will have effective
disease surveillance systems. New
Zealand’s Animal General Surveillance
Programme meets the OIE’s international
standard for an early detection system
for an incursion or emerging disease
and includes a functional reporting
system for pests and diseases, with
adequate coverage of the country’s
animal population and all its regions. An
early detection system is required before
a country can declare itself free from
diseases important to trade, including
(where applicable and where a country is
eligible to do so) declaring freedom from
a disease without the need to implement
active surveillance targeted to a particular
organism (OIE, 2012a–g).
5
Increasing breadth of potential surveillance
cases able to be observed
Increasing diagnostic expertise and resources
Communication
MPI
Diagnostic
Laboratories
Veterinarians, livestock
technicians and aquatic
specialists
General public
0800 Hotline
Figure 1: The general surveillance pyramid of scrutiny.
Components of
New Zealand’s Animal
General Surveillance
Programme
New Zealand’s programme can be
divided into two main parts: the Animal
Pest and Disease Notification and
Investigation System, and scanning
surveillance.
The Animal Pest and Disease
Notification and Investigation
system
This system, also known as the Passive
Surveillance Programme, uses a
surveillance network of people in contact
with animals, private veterinarians,
aquatic specialists, and diagnostic
laboratories (Figure 1). It largely relies
on awareness and prompt reporting to
MPI and is the mechanism by which
individuals and organisations outside
of MPI can trigger an investigation of
a suspected exotic or emerging pest or
disease. The extent of MPI investigation
and laboratory diagnostics required to
either rule out or to identify the presence
of suspected exotic or emerging diseases
is determined by the circumstances of
each case. An investigation may comprise
disease-specific confirmatory testing
and epidemiological analysis of a report
from a laboratory or research institute,
or a field investigation of clinical signs
reported by a member of the public (e.g. a farmer) or a veterinarian. The system
is made up of number of components
(Figure 2) that work together to provide
effective and efficient early detection:
Everyone in
New Zealand is being
watchful
MPI-approved
veterinary diagnostic
laboratories
Communication
programme
New Zealand
animal health
laboratory
The Notification
and Investigation
System
Legal obligation to
report
A toll-free pest and disease
emergency phone number
The MPI pest and disease hotline
(0800 809 966) operates 24/7 for anyone
in New Zealand to a report a suspected
case of an exotic or emerging pest
or disease in animals to the National
Investigation and Diagnostic Centre
(IDC) at Wallaceville, Upper Hutt.
Operating since 1998, the hotline receives
about 700 calls a year from members
of the public, researchers, veterinarians
and laboratories. Around 250 of these
reports require further investigation, with
about two-thirds related to terrestrial and
aquatic animal diseases and a third to
marine diseases, invasive marine species
and pest animals such as snakes.
A team of MPI Incursion
Investigators
Calls to the IDC are transferred to an
investigator of the appropriate discipline,
who then manages the investigation
of the report. Investigators (veterinary
epidemiologists and aquatic specialists)
may attend a suspected case in the first
instance or they may engage an Initial
Investigating Veterinarian (IIV). MPI
Incursion Investigators participate in a
regular programme of training including
courses in exotic pest and disease
recognition, incursion simulations and
providing assistance to other countries
during major outbreaks.
A New Zealand-wide network of IIVs
AsureQuality (AQ) maintains, on
behalf of MPI, a team of private and
AQ veterinarians who receive biennial
training to recognise important exotic
pests and diseases (Murray, 2012). IIVs
are geographically spread to enable timely
attendance anywhere in New Zealand. A
MPI Incursion Investigator managing a
suspected exotic pest or disease case may
ask an IIV to visit the location of the case
and carry out an initial assessment. If the
IIV cannot rule out exotic disease, the
MPI Incursion Investigator will attend to
investigate further.
A legal obligation to report to MPI
Initial investigating
veterinarians
A MPI pest and
disease hotline
Trained incursion
investigators
Figure 2: Components of the animal pest and disease notification system
6
Under sections 44 and 46 of the
Biosecurity Act 1993, everyone in
New Zealand is legally required to
report to MPI suspected cases of
notifiable organisms and suspected
cases of organisms not normally
seen in New Zealand. A schedule of
notifiable organisms issued under the
Biosecurity Act 1993 is maintained
for those organisms considered the
most significant to animal, plant or
human health and trade priorities
(Tana et al., 2011).
The legal requirement to report
suspected cases enables them to be
investigated by MPI within the Animal
Pest and Disease Notification and
Investigation System. The obligation to
report extends to industry surveillance
programmes, animals slaughtered by
primary processors, and testing of
animals and germplasm for export. All
animals slaughtered by processors in
New Zealand undergo pre-slaughter
inspection to confirm they are free from
clinical signs of disease, and all carcasses
undergo post-mortem inspection.
New Zealand exports companion
animals, livestock, semen and embryos,
many of which undergo disease testing
to qualify for export or are included in
disease monitoring programmes.
MPI’s Animal Health Laboratory
(AHL)
The AHL is an enhanced level 3 physical
containment facility based at the IDC
Wallaceville, which provides laboratory
support for exotic and emerging disease
investigations. It undertakes export
testing, diagnostic research (including
test validation and development) and
provides diagnostic support for the
S&II group’s targeted surveillance
programmes. The laboratory is accredited
to ISO 17025 (the general standard for
competence in testing and calibration
in laboratories) and uses more than
450 diagnostic techniques to test for
and identify disease organisms in
terrestrial and aquatic animal samples.
The laboratory is staffed by 12 technical
managers and senior scientists with
PhDs in aquatic animal health, biological
or veterinary science, and 18 scientists
and technicians with an appropriate
science degree. The AHL maintains
strong national and international links
to other laboratories and experts, to
facilitate centralised referral of samples
for confirmatory testing where in-house
diagnostic capability is not available or a
second opinion is needed.
The AHL also convenes the New Zealand
Veterinary Laboratory Network,
a group consisting of government
organisations, research institutes,
commercial laboratories and universities
that carry out animal disease diagnostic
testing in New Zealand. The network
aims “to facilitate communication and
exchange of information between the
laboratories on topics such as diagnostic
methods, quality measures, training
needs, and how to continue to improve
response capacity within New Zealand”
(Anon., 2011).
MPI-approved veterinary diagnostic
laboratories
The eight privately owned veterinary
diagnostic testing and pathology
laboratories in New Zealand are required
under contractual arrangements with
MPI to maintain minimum operational
and technical quality assurance
requirements. These laboratories receive
samples taken by veterinary practitioners
and researchers from farm animals,
companion animals and wildlife for
routine sick animal disease investigation,
export testing and health screening
tests. Contractual obligations with MPI
include the requirement for a veterinary
pathologist to read, within one working
day, the clinical histories on all sick
animal cases, to exclude the possibility of
exotic disease. If the laboratory suspects
an exotic disease after reading the history,
or after any subsequent testing, it must
notify the IDC the same day.
Communication programme
MPI has an ongoing communication
programme to maintain and increase
awareness of its pest and disease hotline
and the importance of reporting
suspected cases of exotic or emerging
disease. To maintain awareness among
the approximately 2300 practising
veterinarians in New Zealand, articles
on exotic disease are published in
Surveillance and other veterinary
publications and presentations are
given at veterinary conferences. MPI
veterinarians also provide lectures to
veterinary students to ensure they are
aware of their responsibility to notify
MPI of suspected cases. Presentations,
pamphlets and posters at agricultural
events and in the media maintain
awareness of the pest and disease hotline
among the general public. Reports on
investigations of suspected cases of exotic
disease by MPI Incursion Investigators,
and reports on routine sick animal
disease investigations from private
veterinary laboratories, are published
quarterly in Surveillance and are publicly
accessible on line.
Scanning surveillance
The S & II group monitors and analyses
trends in pest and disease occurrence,
such as frequency, location and affected
species. This work includes:
• monitoring calls received through
the pest and disease hotline relating
to sick and dead, wild and domestic
animals. Calls are analysed by
S&II veterinary epidemiologists
(McFadden et al., 2007);
• analysing case information and
test findings from MPI-approved
veterinary diagnostic laboratories.
In addition to their obligations listed
above, the laboratories are required
to provide MPI with monthly
reports on all sick animal cases
among production livestock, wildlife
and (when a zoonotic disease is
suspected) companion animals; and
• monitoring the cause of death of
threatened or critically endangered
native species. Under contract to
the Department of Conservation,
veterinary pathologists at Massey
University perform necropsies on
these cases. Where appropriate,
further diagnostic testing of cases is
funded by MPI so that a definitive
diagnosis can be made.
These and other sources of information
on reported disease events and routine
disease diagnoses in domestic and wild
animals provide a baseline of endemic
disease occurrence in New Zealand and
enable changes to be detected that may
indicate an emerging disease.
References
Anon. (2011). Animal Health Laboratory.
Surveillance 38(3): 9–13.
McFadden A, Rawdon T, Bingham P, Loth L
(2007) Public reports of avian mortality. Part
2: Spatial and temporal trends. Surveillance
34(3): 14–17.
Murray A (2012) Who you gonna call? VetScript
25 (8): 24–25.
OIE [World Organisation for Animal Health]
(2011) Surveillance and international reporting
of diseases in wild animals. Training Programme
for OIE National Focal Points for Wildlife, 2nd
Cycle Workshop, Version 14.
(2013a) Terrestrial Animal Health Code. Glossary.
http://www.oie.int/en/international-standardsetting/terrestrial-code/access-online/.
Accessed 3 December 2013.
7
(2013b) Terrestrial Animal Health Code. Chapter
3.1. Veterinary Services. http://www.oie.int/en/
international-standard-setting/terrestrial-code/
access-online/. Accessed 3 December 2013.
(2013f) Aquatic Animal Health Code. Aquatic
Animal Health Surveillance. http://www.oie.int/
en/international-standard-setting/aquatic-code/
access-online/. Accessed 3 December 2013.
(2013c) Terrestrial Animal Health Code.
Chapter 1.4. Animal health surveillance. http://
www.oie.int/en/international-standard-setting/
terrestrial-code/access-online/. Accessed
3 December 2013.
(2013g) Terrestrial Animal Health Code. Chapter
3.2. Evaluation of veterinary services. http://
terrestrial-code/access-online/. Accessed
3 December 2013.
(2013d) Aquatic Animal Health Code. Glossary.
http://www.oie.int/en/international-standardsetting/aquatic-code/access-online/. Accessed
3 December 2013.
Peacock L, Kittelberger R, Green O, George
S (2013) Arbovirus surveillance programme.
Surveillance 40(3): 30–31.
(2013e) Aquatic Animal Health Code. Quality
of Aquatic Animal Health Services. http://
aquatic-code/access-online/. Accessed
3 December 2013.
8
Rawdon T, McFadden A, Stanislawek W, Bingham
P (2007) Public reports of avian mortality. Part
1: Risk profiling and investigation. Surveillance
34(3): 10–13.
Rawdon TG, Tana T, Thornton RN, McKenzie
JS, Stanislawek WL, Kittelberger R, Geale
D, Stevenson MA, Gerber N, Cork SC (2010)
Surveillance for avian influenza virus subtypes
H5 and H7 in chickens and turkeys farmed
commercially in New Zealand. New Zealand
Veterinary Journal 58(6): 292–298.
Tana T, Murray-Cullen J, Johnston C, Lee E
(2011) Notifiable organisms. Surveillance
38(2): 20–24.
Thrusfield M (2007) Veterinary epidemiology.
Third edition. London: Blackwell, 170–171.
Toni Tana
Senior Adviser
Surveillance and Incursion Investigation
[email protected]
QUARTERLY REPORT OF DIAGNOSTIC CASES: january
to march 2014
Gribbles Veterinary
Pathology
BOVINE
A Devon bull calf in Northland was the
third calf from a line of 25 heifers to
be born with neurological signs. These
were characterised by blindness, a fine
tremor and inability to stand unassisted;
the suckle reflex was retained. A serum
bovine viral diarrhoea PCR was negative.
Histopathology on the brain showed
bilateral white-matter spongiosis that was
particularly severe in the basal ganglia,
thalamus, hippocampus, brainstem and
cerebellar roof regions. An inherited
encephalopathy was suspected.
Six out of a mob of 70 autumn-calving
Northland dairy cows aborted in January.
The veterinarian reported no retained
fetal membranes and that the cows had
been fed only grass. There was a history
of new bulls being introduced on to the
farm two months prior. A fetus submitted
for necropsy had no gross lesions.
Histologically there was multifocal
necrotising encephalitis and nonsuppurative myocarditis, myositis and
hepatitis, consistent with abortion caused
by neosporosis. Another Northland
dairy herd was suspected to have
abortion caused by Neospora caninum
after four cows aborted. Bulk milk and
serum bovine viral diarrhoea PCR tests
on wet and dry stock were negative,
and MAT antibody titres to Leptospira
Pomona were negative, but all four
aborting cows had serum Neospora
IFAT antibody titres of 1:2000 or higher.
Another seven-year-old aborting
Northland dairy cow from a property
that had experienced five abortions over
three months also had a Neospora IFAT
titre of > 1:2000. Culture of fetal stomach
contents was negative for bacteria or
yeast, and fetal liver, kidney and lung
were histologically normal, but there was
necrotising placentitis consistent with
Neospora caninum abortion.
An adult dairy cow from Northland had
sunken eyes, was off-colour and had lost
condition. A Ziehl-Neelsen-stained faecal
smear contained clumps of bacteria
resembling Mycobacterium avium ssp.
paratuberculosis, and a Johne’s disease
serum antibody ELISA test was positive,
confirming Johne’s disease. Another case
was diagnosed from a serum antibody
ELISA test in an adult Auckland dairy
cow that had had weight loss, scouring
and submandibular oedema. Serum
biochemistry in this animal was normal
apart from low albumin (15 g/L; normal
range 26–35) with concomitant low
serum protein (40 g/L; normal range
57–75) and total calcium (1.87 mmol/L;
normal range 2–2.6), consistent with a
protein-losing enteropathy.
Two 6-month-old calves from the
Waikato had diarrhoea. Serum GGT
levels were normal and a pooled serum
bovine viral diarrhoea PCR test was
negative. Faecal parasitology revealed
no coccidial oocysts, and both serum
ferroxidase and whole-blood selenium
were normal. Faecal culture was
negative for Salmonella spp. but yielded
Yersinia pseudotuberculosis, consistent
with yersiniosis.
Three cows in a Northland dairy
herd had grossly suppurative mastitis
that always seemed to affect the back
right quarter. Cytology confirmed the
presence of suppurative inflammation
and small rod-shaped bacteria.
Culture of a milk sample produced
heavy growth of Trueperella (formerly
Arcanobacterium) pyogenes, consistent
with Trueperella mastitis. In the
United Kingdom this bacterium
causes summer mastitis in dry cows;
outbreaks in summer are linked to high
fly populations. In Australasia summer
mastitis is sporadic and Trueperella
mastitis is mostly seen in lactating cows
with teat injuries or sores.
Two 3-year-old Friesian cows on a
Canterbury dairy farm were presented
with vaginal masses. Histologically both
cases were typical of papillomavirusinduced fibropapillomas.
An autumn-calving 500-cow Canterbury
dairy herd had 19 abortions over a twoweek period. Histological examination of
the tissues of one fetus revealed typical
lesions of Neospora infection. The cow
had a high indirect fluorescent antibody
titre of > 1:2000 to Neospora caninum.
Three 6-month-old crossbred dairy calves
in a mob of 150 on a Canterbury farm
had become sick and died. One calf was
examined and had lesions of toxic renal
tubular injury of several days’ duration
and the lesions were highly suggestive of
acorn toxicity. The calves were on goodquality pasture but further questioning of
the owner revealed that they had grazed
under some oak trees about 10 days
before becoming sick.
An Otago dairy farmer found 30
recumbent cows and one dead from
a mob of 250 when he went to collect
them for early-morning milking. They
had been pastured overnight in a
paddock full of fathen (Chenopodium
album), which is known to induce
hypocalcaemia (milk fever). All
the recumbent cows recovered after
treatment for hypocalcaemia.
In Otago and Southland, between late
December and early January there were
six outbreaks of polioencephalomalacia
at a time when pasture was described
as lush and growing rapidly. Affected
animals were dairy calves, either found
dead or recumbent and exhibiting clinical
signs of opisthotonus. In most cases only
low numbers were affected, but in one
case 30 from a mob of 260 dairy calves
showed clinical signs and seven died
despite thiamine treatment. The diagnosis
was confirmed by histopathological
examination of the brain.
Deaths occurred in a mob of 600 sixmonth-old dairy calves grazing on a
Southland farm. By the time the farmer
had called in the local veterinarian,
three had died and 130 were affected by
a marked inspiratory effort and several
were coughing. Necropsy of a dead calf
showed consolidation of most of both
lungs. Histological examination of the
affected lung showed changes typical
of Histophilus sp. pneumonia, and
Histophilus somni was cultured from
this lung. In another case, the same
organism was cultured from the lung of a
single dairy heifer in a mob of 50 grazing
irrigated pasture in central Otago. This
animal was found dead after showing
respiratory signs for eight hours.
9
Five calves died among a mob of 50
grazing on a Southland grazing block,
after showing severe respiratory signs.
They died after a short period of
respiratory distress characterised by neck
extension and open-mouth breathing.
Histopathological examination of one
lung showed severe alveolar changes with
the formation of hyaline membranes,
confirming a diagnosis of atypical
interstitial pneumonia.
There were a large number of outbreaks
of enteritis among calves throughout
Otago and Southland during the summer.
In one outbreak 100 from a mob of 300
calves were affected and at least seven
died. Yersinia pseudotuberculosis was
isolated from affected animals. Systemic
antibiotic treatment appeared to control
most outbreaks.
There were several small outbreaks of
salmonellosis in adult dairy cows in
Otago and Southland over this period.
Affected cows commonly had high
temperatures and bloody diarrhoea.
Salmonella Typhimurium was cultured
from the faeces.
A number of four-to-five-month-old
calves were found dead in a large mob
on an Otago dairy farm. The first was
found dead in the paddock a day before
the mob was yarded for drenching.
Another died on the way back after
drenching and five more were found dead
in the paddock over the next two days.
Necropsy of a recently dead calf showed
free fluid in the abdomen and thorax,
and enlarged mesenteric lymph nodes.
Culture of the fluid revealed a heavy
pure growth of Pasteurella multocida.
The paddock was full of weeds, so poor
nutrition may have caused the stress that
initiated this outbreak.
Six out of a herd of 70 autumn-calving
Friesian cows from the Auckland
region aborted within two months
after new bulls were introduced. One
fetus was submitted for necropsy and
histopathology. It had a crown-to-rump
length of 53 cm (corresponding to about
6 months’ gestation) and was mildly
autolysed. There were no significant
gross lesions. Microscopic examination
revealed characteristic foci of necrosis
and gliosis in the brain, and infiltrates
of lymphocytes, plasma cells and
macrophages in the heart, skeletal muscle
and liver. These signs were consistent
with a diagnosis of neosporosis.
10 surveillance 41 (2) 2014
A large mass was identified in the liver
of a cow at post-mortem inspection at
a meat works. The cow was an adult
dairy cow from a Waikato farm. The
mass was multicystic, cream-coloured
and measured about 30 x 10 x 10 cm.
Hydatids was suspected, so a sample
was sent for histology. Microscopic
examination revealed an infiltrative
multicystic neoplasm composed of
epithelial cells showing features of
malignancy. A diagnosis of biliary
cystadenocarcinoma was made.
Veterinary attention was sought for
a mob of 40 five-month-old Friesian
heifer calves grazing good pasture in
the Rangitikei district. One had died
suddenly within the previous few
days and another was recumbent with
profuse, dark diarrhoea. There was
a significant “tail end” to the mob.
Culture of faeces from the affected calf
was negative for Salmonella spp. and
Yersinia pseudotuberculosis. There were
small numbers of coccidial oocysts in
three out of five faecal samples from
in-contact calves, and 10 samples
contained from 0 to 400 strongyle eggs
per gram (mean 165). Histopathology
was more revealing, with severe
inflammation affecting the distal small
intestine and colon, and large numbers of
coccidial megaloschizonts, gametocytes
and oocysts in the affected areas. This
confirmed a diagnosis of coccidiosis, and
was a timely reminder that faecal oocyst
counts may not accurately reflect the
severity of disease if samples are taken
before significant shedding of eggs.
One out of 100 Friesian heifer calves
from a Wanganui dairy farm was found
recumbent in the paddock. A number
of these calves had previously developed
neurological signs that responded to
thiamine. The affected calf displayed
opisthotonus and respiratory distress. It
did not respond to two days of treatment
with antibiotics, so was euthanased.
Histological examination of the brain
revealed laminar cortical necrosis of the
cerebral grey matter, with infiltration of
affected areas by large numbers of Gitter
cells (indicating chronicity). This led to
a diagnosis of polioencephalomalacia,
which is considered to have been caused
by thamine deficiency induced by a
change in pasture quality.
A three-year-old Jersey cow from
Westland became recumbent in the
milking shed and died about two hours
later. At postmortem a mesenteric torsion
was confirmed as the cause of death, but
there was also significant liver pathology.
Histopathology revealed numerous
necrotic tracts filled with haemorrhage
and eosinophils throughout the liver,
consistent with migration tracts of
the immature stages of the liver fluke
Fasciola hepatica, and fascioliasis
was diagnosed.
Three 6-month-old Jersey/Friesian cross
dairy heifers from a Taranaki farm were
poorly grown and developed diarrhoea.
Serum samples tested positive for bovine
viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV) by antigen
ELISA. Subsequently, serum samples
were collected from the other 62 heifers
in the mob and tested for BVDV antigen
by ELISA. A highly positive result was
found in 36, a weakly positive result
was found in four, and 22 were negative.
Testing of the highly and weakly positive
heifers was repeated 28 days later. All
the highly positive ones were still highly
positive, confirming that they were
persistently infected. The four weakly
positive heifers returned negative results
the second time, indicating that they
had only been transiently infected. These
results confirmed fetal infection of the
heifers with BVDV, and a persistent
infection rate of 60 percent (39/65). A
group of leased bulls that had been run
with the dairy herd during mating were
thought to be the source of infection.
A three-year-old Friesian cow died while
undergoing veterinary treatment on
a Rangitikei dairy farm. At necropsy,
abscesses were noted in the liver and
lung. Examination of tissue samples
collected for histopathology revealed
thrombi mixed with neutrophils, bacteria
and necrotic debris in the arteries of
the lung. This suggested that one of the
liver abscesses had ruptured into the
vena cava and flooded pulmonary blood
vessels with purulent material, causing
death through these pulmonary emboli.
This is known as portocaval syndrome
and is thought to be due to rumenitis
subsequent to ruminal acidosis, leading
to hepatitis and hepatic abscessation.
A herd of mixed-age cows in the
Rangitikei had been forced to heavily
graze a plantain crop infested with
redroot (Amaranthus powellii). One
cow had been noticed displaying
aggression and neurological signs prior
to dying. Histopathology revealed
severe nephrosis throughout the kidney,
consistent with a toxic insult related to
ingestion of this nephrotoxic plant.
A four-year-old Jersey cow from Taranaki
presented with anorexia and pale
mucous membranes. Samples sent to the
laboratory for a complete blood count
did not show anaemia or any significant
changes. However, serum biochemistry
revealed a marked increase in GDH
(2000 U/L; normal range 8–41), a mild
increase in GGT (160 U/L; normal
range 9–41), and high bilirubin (32 g/L;
normal range 0–15). The serum copper
concentration was 69 umol/L (normal
range 8–18.8), confirming a case of
chronic copper toxicity.
OVINE
A significant “tail end’”of ill-thrifty
ewes developed in a line of twotooths purchased during the drought
of 2013 and grazed on pasture in the
Rangitikei district. A representative
ewe was sacrificed for post-mortem
examination and diagnostic testing. A
Ziehl-Neelsen-stained smear of faeces
contained clumps of acid-fast bacilli
consistent with Mycobacteria spp.
Liver copper and selenium levels were
adequate. Histopathology revealed
diffuse expansion of the ileal mucosa
by myriad epithelioid macrophages
containing acid-fast bacilli, confirming
a diagnosis of Johne’s disease caused
by Mycobacterium avium ssp.
paratuberculosis.
Twenty Romney lambs aged four to five
months died while grazing a red clover
sward in the central North Island. They
had been given two 5-in-1 clostridial
vaccinations and were judged to be
in good body condition. Veterinary
examination of dying lambs revealed
fever, excess salivation, weakness,
collapse and central nervous signs.
Because some of them had evaded
vaccination, a tentative diagnosis of
enterotoxaemia was made. Samples were
taken from two lambs and processed
for histology. In both samples there was
severe suppurative meningoencephalitis
and ventriculitis. In one there was also
vasculitis, and Gram-negative bacteria
were present in the brain. Culture of fresh
brain was unsuccessful but the histologic
changes were considered characteristic of
histophilosis. Histophilus somni is the
cause of thrombotic meningoencephalitis
in cattle, but is also recognised as a
cause of meningitis, septicaemia and
polyarthritis in sheep.
After being mustered for anthelmintic
treatment, a mob of 750 lambs in
Hawke’s Bay was held overnight in a
holding paddock near the yards. Next
morning, 40 were recumbent and six
were dead. Serum samples collected
from three of the recumbent lambs
had markedly elevated creatinine
phosphokinase concentrations of 43 050,
94 150 and 36 350 IU/L (reference range
132–1573) and aspartate transaminase
concentrations of 1301, 2692 and
2544 IU/L (reference range 64–225),
indicating severe muscle damage.
Histopathology of muscle samples from
the dead lambs revealed necrosis of
skeletal muscle myofibres, confirming
myopathy. A toxic insult was suspected
as the likely cause but despite extensive
searching no toxic plants were found
in the holding paddock, yards or
pasture. Previous cases of myopathy
in lambs have been associated with
staggerweed (Stachys arvensis) ingestion
(Vaatstra, 2012).
A seven-month-old ewe lamb from
Wairarapa shared grazing in an olive
orchard with one other lamb. Veterinary
attention was sought in early March as
she was not eating and was weak and
jaundiced. Analysis of a whole-blood
sample revealed increased numbers
of nucleated red blood cells (31/100
leukocytes; reference level 0) and
increased reticulocytes (2 percent;
reference level 0), confirming a
regenerative anaemia. Serum GLDH was
elevated, at 627 IU/L (normal < 40). A
few days later the lamb was found dead
and at postmortem the liver appeared
orange and swollen. Histopathology
revealed frequent randomly scattered
necrotic hepatocytes and abundant
yellow-staining bile pigment in bile ducts.
Copper toxicity was suspected and it was
found that the orchard was sprayed twice
a year, in early spring and late autumn,
with a copper spray to control fungal
disease. A sample of liver was analysed
and revealed the copper concentration
was markedly elevated at 4000 µmol/kg
(excessive > 2800 µmol/kg) confirming
copper toxicity.
From January to April, 20 outbreaks of
ewe deaths caused by acute salmonellosis
on Southland farms were diagnosed at
the laboratory. Salmonella Hindmarsh
was isolated from the faeces of the dead
ewes. Affected ewes showed a sudden
onset of recumbency and diarrhoea with
green-stained faeces, with death in a few
hours. On most farms there were only a
small number of deaths at the time when
samples were submitted, but one farm
had 50 deaths over two weeks.
Listeria ivanovii was isolated from the
faeces of one of two new rams that died
after two days of severe diarrhoea that
occurred two weeks after they arrived
on a Southland farm. Home-bred rams
that they had been mixed with were
unaffected. This Listeria species is usually
associated with abortions in ewes.
Salmonella cultures were negative.
Fifteen out of a mob of 400 twotooth ewes on an Otago sheep farm
were found recumbent or dead over
several days, a week after yarding. The
recumbent ewes showed a marked nasal
discharge and were found dead a few
hours later. Necropsy of a ewe that had
been dead for several hours revealed
completely consolidated, congested
lungs covered with a thick mat of fibrin.
Mannheimia haemolytica was cultured
and histopathological examination of
lung sections showed a severe fibrinous
pleuropneumonia.
A four-month-old ram lamb from
the Waikato died and at necropsy was
found to have bilateral cranioventral
pneumonia. Microscopic examination
of lung sections revealed chronic
active necrosuppurative pneumonia
with short rod-shaped bacteria.
Culture of fresh lung produced a
heavy growth of Trueperella (formerly
Arcanobacterium) pyogenes, consistent
with Truperella pneumonia.
CAPRINE
A two-year-old nanny goat from a flock
in the Waikato lost weight over a period
of weeks and was euthanased. There were
multiple 10–25-mm white encapsulated
nodules scattered throughout the
liver and lungs. Microscopically the
lesions consisted of areas of central
caseous necrosis within which
ghosted macrophages containing fine
basophilic cocci were seen. Surrounding
these necrotic areas were epitheloid
macrophages admixed with low numbers
of lymphocytes, plasma cells and
neutrophils, blending peripherally into
concentric fibrosis. The macrophages
often contained large numbers of fine
basophilic cocci, either dispersed through
the cytoplasm or within clear cytoplasmic
vacuoles. Examination of Gram-stained
11
sections enabled the bacteria to be
characterised as small pleomorphic
Gram-positive cocci, confirming a
diagnosis of Rhodococcus equi infection.
R. equi is a soil-borne organism often
associated with respiratory and enteric
infections in foals. Occasional infections
are diagnosed in cattle, cats and goats
(Davis et al., 1999). Underlying factors
such as enteric parasitism, CAEV
infection and marginal nutrition during
pregnancy and lactation may predispose
goats to disseminated disease.
Two recently weaned goat kids became
weak and died on a Bay of Plenty farm.
The property had a history of drenching
the kids at eight-weekly intervals
with a combination anthelmintic
containing levamisole HCl, abamectin
and oxfendazole. The next treatment
was due but had not yet been given.
Gastrointestinal parasite faecal egg
counts on the two dead kids were 19 000
and 17 600 eggs per gram, confirming
severe parasitism.
A three-year-old Saanen goat from
the Waikato had kidded in July and
then progressively lost weight until
February despite having high-quality
feed. Serum biochemistry was normal
and faecal parasitology was negative
for Nematodirus eggs but revealed
1000 strongyle eggs/gram, and a serum
caprine arthritis and encephalitis (CAE)
virus ELISA was positive, suggesting
nematodiasis and infection with CAE
virus. Follow-up herd serology a month
later confirmed that seven out of 10 goats
tested were positive for CAEV infection.
CANINE AND FELINE
A nine-week-old Huntaway pup from
Southland was one of several dying
in a litter affected by diarrhoea and
depression. The property had a history
of similar outbreaks of disease in litters,
despite supportive care. The puppies and
their dam had been routinely vaccinated
and the kennels were routinely
disinfected. A post-mortem examination
identified no gross lesions apart from
subcutaneous oedema consistent with
subcutaneous fluid administration, and
histopathology of a wide range of organs
showed no significant findings. No
Campylobacter or Salmonella organisms
were isolated on faecal culture, and
faecal parasitology was negative but a
faecal parvovirus antigen ELISA test
was positive (thought to be due to prior
vaccination). Faecal antigen ELISA
tests were negative for Cryptosporidium
spp. but positive for Giardia spp.,
suggesting that giardiasis was the
underlying problem.
An eight-week-old crossbred puppy
from Auckland had dysentery. Faecal
antigen ELISA tests were negative for
Cryptosporidium and Giardia spp. Faecal
parasitology identified 1000 ascarid eggs/
gram and faecal culture was positive for
Campylobacter spp., indicating that the
puppy had combined nematodiasis and
campylobacteriosis.
A five-month-old Cavalier King
Charles puppy from Auckland had
diarrhoea for more than a week. Faecal
parasitology was negative; faecal culture
was negative for Salmonella spp. but
yielded a growth of Campylobacter spp.
Faecal antigen ELISA tests were negative
for Cryptosporidium but positive for
Giardia spp., consistent with combined
giardiasis and campylobacteriosis.
An eight-week-old crossbred puppy from
Auckland had large-bowel diarrhoea for
two weeks. Signs persisted despite a range
of treatments including fenbendazole,
metronidazole/spiramycin and
Scourban. Faecal culture was negative for
Salmonella and Campylobacter spp., but
faecal parasitology identified 300 ascarid
eggs/gram. Faecal antigen ELISA tests
were negative for Giardia but positive
for Cryptosporidium spp., supporting a
diagnosis of combined nematodiasis
and cryptosporidiosis.
A two-year-old Bengal cat from
Northland had a history of altered
behaviour, weight loss, diarrhoea and
prolapsed third eyelids. The intestines
contained gas on palpation and the anus
was inflamed. Faecal antigen ELISA
tests for Giardia spp were positive but
the cat tested negative by ELISA for
Cryptosporidium. Faecal parasitology
and faecal culture for Salmonella and
Campylobacter spp. were all negative.
A nine-week-old Burmese kitten from
Northland was anorexic and not thriving.
Faecal antigen ELISA tests were positive
for Giardia spp., and faecal culture
yielded a growth of Campylobacter spp.,
consistent with combined giardiasis and
campylobacteriosis. Faecal parasitology
and faecal culture for Salmonella spp.
were both negative.
A two-month-old Domestic Shorthaired
cat from Auckland had diarrhoea.
Faecal parasitology was negative for
nematode eggs or coccidial oocysts,
and faecal antigen ELISA tests were
negative for Giardia but positive for
Cryptosporidium spp., supporting a
diagnosis of cryptosporidiosis.
A middle-aged Huntaway dog from
Otago developed a purulent lesion on
a front foot. About a week later the
farmer noticed that although it could
still walk around and eat, it had a stiff
neck, pricked ears, exophthalmos and
protruding third eyelids. Tetanus was
suspected and treatment with high doses
penicillin was instituted. After seven to
10 days of treatment the dog had not
improved, so corticosteroid therapy
was also instituted. This produced a
more rapid improvement, so that after
a further two weeks the dog was nearly
back to normal.
A two-year-old male neutered
Staffordshire Bull Terrier from the
Waikato presented with a three-week
history of diarrhoea and weight loss.
Ultrasound examination suggested
disseminated disease throughout
the pancreas, small intestine and
kidneys, so exploratory laparotomy
was performed. Grossly there were
multiple discrete 2–5-mm creamcoloured nodules throughout the
intestinal tract, associated lymph nodes,
pancreas and kidneys. Biopsy samples
were taken. Histologically the nodules
were composed of pyogranulomatous
inflammation punctuated by moderate
numbers of 4–8-µm spherical yeast cells
surrounded by thick, clear capsules. The
cells often occurred in clusters within
clear spaces and displayed narrow-based
budding. These findings were consistent
with a diagnosis of disseminated
cryptococcosis. This is an uncommon
diagnosis in dogs but is reasonably
well recognised as a respiratory
infection in cats, and may be fatal in
immunocompromised humans. The
infective yeast is inhaled or inoculated
from environmental sources such as soil
or bird droppings (especially pigeons).
The dog was treated with amphotericin B
and fluconazole and responded well.
A four-month-old Fox Terrier puppy
from the Bay of Plenty had a history
of recurrent bloody diarrhoea.
Salmonella Typhimurium phage type 56
was grown from a faecal sample,
confirming a diagnosis of salmonellosis.
In another case of chronic diarrhoea
from the Bay of Plenty, Giardia lamblia
was identified by ELISA in the faeces of
an eight-month-old Golden Retriever
dog, confirming giardiasis. A further
case of diarrhoea in a 16-month-old
Bearded Collie dog from Waikato
was confirmed as cryptosporidiosis
by ELISA.
A ten-month-old Ragdoll tomcat from
Hauraki developed persistent diarrhoea,
which an ELISA test confirmed as
cryptosporidiosis. In another case
of persistent diarrhoea, faeces from a
one-year-old castrated Bengal tomcat
from Manawatu tested positive for
Giardia lamblia, confirming giardiasis.
An eight-year-old heading dog
presented at a Wairarapa veterinary
clinic with clinical signs of polyuria,
polydipsia and lethargy. Significant
abnormalities indicating renal damage
were identified by biochemical tests on
a serum sample: increased creatinine
(298 µmol/L; reference range 48–109),
urea (36.3 mmol/L; reference range
2.5–9) and phosphorus (3.95 mmo/L;
reference range 0.92–1.82). Elevated
creatinine phosphokinase (5955 IU/L;
reference range 0–385) indicated acute
muscle damage, while increased alkaline
phosphatase (122 IU/L; reference
range 0–87) and alanine transaminase
(164 IU/L; reference range 0–88)
confirmed mild hepatobilary damage.
Considering these clinical signs,
leptospirosis was a possible differential.
A microscopic agglutination titre (MAT)
for Leptospira pomona was > 1:1600,
confirming a diagnosis of leptospirosis.
PORCINE
Multiple fixed-tissue samples were
submitted from an 11-year-old
female Kunekune pig at a Waikato
zoo. The pig had a long history
of reproductive problems, loss of
condition and abdominal swelling. At
postmortem the abdomen was found
to be expanded by a markedly enlarged
uterus containing hundreds of cysts.
Histological examination revealed
diffuse tortuous cystic hyperplasia
of the uterine endometrium with
focal areas of epithelial dysplasia.
One of the sublumbar lymph nodes
was partially effaced by clusters of
neoplastic cells forming tubules and
cystic structures. The findings were
interpreted as metastatic endometrial
adenocarcinoma developing within
a background of cystic endometrial
hyperplasia (CEH). Adenocarcinoma
arising in a background of CEH is well
recognised in women and has also been
reported in pigs (Harmon et al., 2004).
Causes of cystic endometrial
hyperplasia in pigs can include ovarian
cysts (not observed in this case),
anovulation, repeated cycling without
breeding, obesity and exposure to the
mycotoxin zearalenone.
A four-day-old piglet from North
Auckland had diarrhoea and was
lethargic and hypothermic. Another
piglet from the same litter had died
after a period of diarrhoea, and the
dam was lethargic. A faecal sample
contained no coccidial oocysts. A faecal
swab produced a growth of Escherichia
coli positive for the K88 fimbrial type,
suggesting that the piglets were
infected with enterotoxigenic
Escherichia coli (ETEC).
POULTRY
Five out of 50 free-range layer hens on
a Taranaki farm developed diarrhoea,
became listless and died within three
days. Fixed-tissue sections were
submitted for laboratory analysis. In the
mesenteric adipose there were sheets of
monomorphic neoplastic lymphocytes.
Scattered foci of similar cells disrupted
the liver. There were also multifocal
air-sac and pulmonary granulomas
centred on fragments of arthropods
consistent with the mite Cytodites nudus.
The clinical presentation and neoplastic
infiltrates were considered to be most
consistent with acute Marek’s disease,
caused by Gallid herpesvirus-2.
However, in the absence of characteristic
sciatic nerve and iris involvement, avian
leukosis could not be excluded.
NON-POULTRY AVIAN
A six-month-old male tui from a large
mixed aviary in the Waikato region was
found dead after being observed hanging
around the water supply. On postmortem examination, one large yellow
mass and two smaller masses were found
in the left lung. These were histologically
consistent with granuloma and contained
many 4–7-µm-wide faintly basophilic
fungal hyphae with parallel walls, acuteangle branching and frequent septa,
confirming a diagnosis of aspergillosis.
Underlying factors predisposing to avian
aspergillosis include young and old age,
poor body condition, bacterial or viral
disease, significant stress, capture and
transport, overcrowding, poor ventilation
and exposure to particularly high spore
numbers.
CAMELID
An 11-year-old alpaca from a Northland
herd of 14 had thickened, leathery
eyelids, right-corneal ulceration and
left-corneal oedema, stiff lips and
bent, swollen pinnae. Most serum
biochemical tests were normal except for
GGT (367 IU/L; normal range 12–27),
confirming the effects of sporidesmin
ingestion and a diagnosis of probable
facial eczema.
RABBIT
Seven rabbits ranging from four to
10 months of age died suddenly over a
period of days on a Wairarapa lifestyle
farm. Very young rabbits and a number
of older rabbits on the property were
unaffected. Two of the dead animals were
submitted for post-mortem examination.
They had full stomachs, red, wet lungs
(showing congestion and oedema)
and dark red, mottled livers. Histology
revealed similar changes in the livers of
both rabbits, characterised by randomly
oriented acute hepatocellular necrosis
affecting about 70 percent of hepatocytes.
There were clusters of degenerate
neutrophils associated with necrotic areas
and fibrin thrombi within sinusoids.
The changes in the liver and the history
of sudden death were consistent with
a diagnosis of rabbit haemorrhagic
disease caused by rabbit calicivirus. Kits
less than three weeks old are resistant to
the disease, but gradually become fully
susceptible by 10 weeks.
EQUINE
An aged horse from the South Auckland
region was pruritic and alopecic. It
had not responded to treatment with
chlorhexidine/miconazole medicated
washes, glucocorticoid creams or
trimethoprim-sulphonamide antibiotic
therapy, and had been previously
diagnosed with pituitary pars intermedia
dysfunction. A skin biopsy showed focal
suppurative epidermitis with fungal
hyphae, consistent with a diagnosis
of dermatophytosis.
13
New Zealand Veterinary
Pathology
BOVINE
A group of two-year-old Wagyu steers
in Hawke’s Bay had a history of poor
condition worsening over several
months. One was culled and examined
post mortem. Gross necropsy findings
were not informative but histology
showed a granulomatous hepatitis
and lymphadenitis consistent with
Mycobacteria paratuberculosis infection
(Johne’s disease). An antibody ELISA
test for Johne’s was also positive.
One cow and two calves from a Hereford
herd in the Auckland region were doing
poorly. The cow had a history of weight
loss, with several weeks of scour, and had
small oral ulcers. The cow’s calf and one
other calf on the property were growing
poorly. All three animals were positive
on bovine viral diarrhoea antigen ELISA.
Bovine viral diarrhoea was diagnosed.
A three-year-old cow in the Waikato
presented with a large, firm, rapidly
growing mass on her thigh. Aspiration
of the mass and cytological examination
revealed that it was composed of
a monotypic population of large
lymphocytes, consistent with sporadic
cutaneous lymphoma.
In the Waikato, a two-year-old heifer
presented with sudden onset of profuse
watery scour. Salmonella Typhimurium
was isolated from a faecal sample.
A cow in the Waikato presented
with udder oedema and enlarged
submandibular lymph nodes. On rectal
examination a large mass about 25 cm
in diameter was palpable in the area
of the cervix. Haematology revealed
no evidence of anaemia, but Theileria
organisms were visible on the smear.
In addition, increased numbers of
lymphoblasts were visible on the blood
smear. Early lymphoblastic leukaemia
was diagnosed, likely secondary to
lymphoma. An enzootic bovine leukosis
ELISA test was negative. PCR for
Theileria orientalis Ikeda was positive.
A five-year-old bison cow in the Nelson
region was thin and had a watery
scour. She was sedated in the field for
examination and died. Post-mortem
examination revealed reduced fat stores
and inflammation of the caecum and
abomasum. Chemistry, parasitology and
antigen testing for bovine viral diarrhoea
and coronavirus were unrevealing.
Culture of intestinal contents yielded
Salmonella St. Paul.
A four-month-old mob of 258 Friesian
calves in Canterbury were drenched with
a short-acting levamisole/abamectin
combination drench. The calves were not
seen for three or four days, and when
next seen 30 of them were dead. At that
time 25 were observed to be ataxic or
down, with a loss of the menace response.
Over the next weekend 26 more died.
Abamectin toxicity was suspected on the
basis of the clinical signs. Histological
examination of tissues from one of the
dead calves was unrevealing, as was
chemistry and haematology from a live
animal. The abamectin level in a section
of liver from one of the dead animals
was 2.0 mg/kg. Abamectin toxicosis was
diagnosed. Oral doses of above 1 mg/kg
of abamectin are considered potentially
toxic in cattle (Button et al., 1988).
A two-year-old cow in Otago had
extensive swelling beneath the jaw,
with a haemopurulent discharge.
Culture revealed a pure growth of an
Actinomyces species. Lumpy jaw caused
by Actinomyces bovis was considered to
be the most likely diagnosis.
In the Waikato, 10 percent of a group
of calves had diarrhoea and weight loss.
Yersinia pseudotuberculosis was isolated
from the faeces of one of the animals.
Enteric yersiniosis was diagnosed.
In Hawke’s Bay, a dry-cow dairy herd of
150 animals experienced five deaths over
a few days. The cows had previously been
fed on citrus pulp, corn waste and barley
straw, but a few days before the deaths
began the barley straw was replaced with
lucerne baleage. Sodium bicarbonate
was also added to the feed. The cows
experienced profuse diarrhoea and
dehydration prior to death. Salmonella
Tymphimurium was isolated from the
faeces of multiple affected animals.
A pasture-fed six-month-old Jersey calf
in the Manawatu presented with severe
depression, marked abdominal distension
and weakness. Another animal was also
affected and had fever and depression.
The first calf died and was necropsied in
the field. Gross symptoms were a marked
fibrinous peritonitis, and histology
showed a marked multifocal suppurative
splenitis. Both lesions were associated
with colonies of small Gram-negative
coccobacilli. Culture of the lesions
was unrevealing owing to extensive
contamination and post-mortem
overgrowth of bacteria. The peritonitis
and septicaemia was considered to be
likely caused by Pasteurella, Histophilus
or Yersinia.
CERVINE
Seven deer in Canterbury died
suddenly in a southerly cold snap.
The hinds appeared thin and had
little abdominal fat on post-mortem
examination. One hind was scouring.
Yersinia enterocolitica was cultured from
the faeces of one of the affected hinds.
This bacterium has not been conclusively
associated with enteritis in deer in
New Zealand, so its significance in this
case is unknown (Gill, 1996).
OVINE
Five out of a mob of 130 mature
Perendale ewes in the Manawatu
died suddenly. Field post-mortem
examination revealed abomasitis
and congested areas of the jejunum.
Salmonella Hindmarsh was isolated
from intestinal content of one
of the animals.
A flock of 400 Romney sheep in
Canterbury were treated for footrot
with lincomycin. Two days later, nine
ewes were found dead. The next day
another ewe died and a postmortem
examination was performed by the
submitting veterinarian. Histological
examination of submitted tissue revealed
a severe suppurative mural rumenitis
and a multifocal suppurative hepatitis.
Acute rumenitis with sepsis/bacteremia
and embolic hepatitis was diagnosed.
Culture of the faeces for Salmonella
was negative.
A neighbouring flock of about 2800
Merino ewes in Canterbury were also
treated with lincomycin at about the
same time as the case described above.
About 18 ewes and hoggets were dead
three to five days after treatment.
Histology on one dead animal was
unrevealing, but culture of faeces from
three animals resulted in the isolation of
Salmonella Tennessee from two of them.
EQUINE
A three-year-old Warmblood horse in the
Waikato presented with a large abscess
on the rump. A heavy pure culture of
Clostridium perfringens was isolated
from fluid aspirated from the abscess.
A horse in the Waikato presented
with a suspect septic joint. Cytological
examination of joint fluid revealed
a marked increase in cellularity.
Ninety percent of the visible
cells were neutrophils. Culture
of the joint fluid revealed a scant
growth of Serratia marsescens,
a ubiquitous environmental
organism that occasionally causes
opportunistic infections.
PORCINE
A group of pigs in Northland had skin
lesions on the face, nares, legs and feet.
The lesions were raised pustules that
then became ulcers. Lesions clinically
resembled a bacterial furunculosis.
Histologic examination of skin biopsies
from affected pigs revealed numerous
parakeratotic plaques with suppurative
inflammation and proliferating yeast
organisms. Numerous colonies of coccoid
bacteria were also present. Culture
revealed Candida spp., Escherichia coli
and coagulase-negative staphylococci.
Candidal dermatitis with complicating
bacterial infection was diagnosed.
POULTRY
A four-month-old rooster from a
domestic flock in Otago exhibited
weakness with splaying of the legs. The
bird was euthanased and a post-mortem
examination was performed. Histology
revealed abnormal mixed lymphoid
infiltrates affecting multiple organs
including the central nervous system.
Marek’s disease was considered the
most likely cause.
of Gram-positive cocci. Small colonies of
Gram-negative bacilli were also visible
in the lung, liver, kidneys and heart.
Serratia marsescens was isolated from
tissues. Serratia is a common enteric
bacterium that may cause opportunistic
infections of ulcerated skin, especially in
immunocompromised animals.
NON-POULTRY AVIAN
References
A zebra finch from a zoo in the Auckland
region had laboured breathing and was
walking oddly even though it had no
visible injuries. The bird was euthanased
and necropsied. Histology revealed
disseminated granulomatous disease
affecting the gastrointestinal tract,
liver and connective tissues within the
coelomic cavity. Special stains of the
affected tissues revealed the presence of
numerous acid-fast bacilli in the lesions.
Mycobacteriosis was diagnosed.
REPTILIAN
A five-year-old bearded dragon
(Pogona vitticeps) from a zoo in the
Auckland region was lethargic and
developed white/tan skin lesions.
Histology showed a severe ulcerative
dermatitis with numerous intralesional
Gram-negative bacilli and lower numbers
Button C, Barton R, Honey P, Rickford P (1988)
Avermectin toxicity in calves and an evaluation
of picrotoxin as an antidote. Australian Veterinary
Journal 65(5): 157–158.
Davis WP, Steficek BA, Watson GL, Yamini
B, Madarame H, Takai S, Render JA (1999)
Disseminated Rhodococcus equi infection in two
goats. Veterinary Pathology 36: 336–369.
Harmon BG, Munday JS, Crane MM (2004)
Diffuse cystic endometrial hyperplasia and
metastatic endometrial adenocarcinoma in a
Vietnamese pot-bellied pig (Sus scrofa). J. Vet.
Diagn. Invest. 16: 587–589.
Gill J (1996) Yersiniosis of farm animals in
New Zealand. Surveillance 23(4): 24–26.
Vaatstra BL (2012) Stachys arvensis
(Staggerweed) toxicity in lambs in New Zealand.
Proceedings of the Society of Sheep and
Beef Cattle Veterinarians of the New Zealand
Veterinary Association – Annual Seminar 2012,
Volume, p 4.11.1–4.11.8.
15
QUARTERLY REPORT OF INVESTIGATIONS OF SUSPECTED
EXOTIC DISEASES
Exotic vesicular
diseases ruled out
A veterinary pathologist contacted MPI
through the exotic pest and disease
hotline after receiving samples from a
group of eighteen 10–12-month-old
steers. Two animals were reported to
have died, with others described as
having erythema and crusting around
the eyes and nostrils. An MPI Incursion
Investigator contacted the local
veterinarian and determined that six
steers from the group of 18 were variably
affected and that there were no oral or
foot lesions. The two deaths had occurred
during the two months before this
notification, with the most recent death
immediately before the recent sampling
event. Serum biochemistry identified
raised serum glutamate dehydrogenase,
aspartate transaminase and gammaglutamyltransferase in the four sampled
steers, indicating moderate hepatobillary
damage. A presumptive diagnosis of
secondary photosensitivity (spring
eczema) was made. The first mortality
was attributed to the effects of massive
lungworm death and disintegration
after deworming the previous day. Acute
facial eczema was considered the cause
in the more recent case. The remaining
animals received zinc boluses, were
moved to a bush paddock and recovered
uneventfully. Exotic vesicular disease was
excluded on clinical and epidemiological
grounds and the investigation
was stood down.
Hairy vetch toxicity
investigated
A veterinary pathologist rang the MPI
exotic pest and disease hotline to report
two deaths in dairy cows with unusual
and very distinct lesions, similar to those
recorded for hairy vetch (Vicia villosa)
toxicity overseas. The deaths occurred
on a dairy farm in Marlborough and
at least one of the dead cows had been
sick since finishing the turnip crop
three weeks earlier. Further cases with
similar pathology have since been
reported from dairy farms in Rotorua
and Palmerston North, each involving
a single cow death. Histopathology
Exotic disease investigations are managed and reported by MPI’s Investigation
and Diagnostic Centre (IDC) and Response, Wallaceville. The following is a
summary of investigations of suspected exotic disease during the period from
January to March 2014.
in these cases was characteristic of a
type IV hypersensitivity reaction, with
multisystemic granulomatous and
eosinophilic inflammation, often with
marked lesions in the heart, kidneys and
skin. Affected animals are often found
dead, but if alive then clinically they can
show thrombocytopaenia (often with
petechial haemorrhages in the vulval
mucosa), neutropaenia, marked weight
loss, pruritic skin lesions (often over
head and neck), pyrexia and sometimes
bloody diarrhoea. Cattle can take up
to five weeks before dying. Citrus pulp
intoxication causes similar lesions and it
is thought that other plant-based toxins,
such as those present in wilted brassicas,
may contain similar toxins. No definitive
aetiology was found in these cases or
other similar cases, though interest in
this syndrome continues and a future
article in Surveillance is planned.
Bovine parvovirus
inconclusive
Environmental Science & Research
(ESR) notified the MPI exotic pest and
disease hotline of DNA fragments with
homology to bovine parvovirus (BPV),
which had been identified by Next
Generation Sequencing. The sample came
from aerosol samples collected at a meat
processing plant. The virus is ubiquitous
and not associated with disease, but this
would be the first report of it in
New Zealand as no surveillance has
previously been performed for the
organism. ESR sought to confirm that the
sequence existed in the original samples
by designing a custom PCR for BPV3
and was successful in amplifying DNA
from four samples. Sanger sequencing
performed on these samples showed
94–99 percent identity at the nucleotide
level to the only other published BPV3
sequence. The finding was discussed
with the MPI virology team, who agreed
with MPI’s 2009 risk analysis on bovine
products (that the organism is ubiquitous
and does not cause disease). The Imports,
Exports, Risk Analysis and Response
Teams were informed of the finding and
had no concerns regarding it. While the
finding is not conclusive proof of the
presence of BPV3 in New Zealand, it
does add weight to the opinion of MPI
that this non-pathogenic organism is
likely to be present.
Exotic bovine
salmonellosis excluded
A veterinary pathologist rang the
MPI exotic pest and disease hotline to
report a cluster of six cases of unusual
haemorrhagic gastroenteritis on four
large dairy farms in Canterbury and
Otago during spring 2013. The disease
was more often seen in adult cows,
with one 2-year-old also affected, and
appeared to be sporadic, with low
morbidity and a high case mortality
rate. The cows were usually affected as
springers during the transition period,
often while still grazing a crop, and
presented with haemorrhagic enteritis
that was rapidly fatal. Salmonella species
such as Dublin (exotic) and Brandenburg
(endemic) were considered a possible
cause but in all cases faecal culture failed
to isolate these. Intestinal histology
from all five cases where a post-mortem
examination was carried out showed
unusual atrophy and blunting of small
intestinal villi, with oedema and fibrin
expanding the submucosa. In some areas
there was a mild to moderate infiltration
of neutrophils and macrophages
among the fibrin, with oedema of the
serosa and pallor of parts of the outer
tunica muscularis.
A questionnaire completed by
veterinarians for four of these cases
showed that in three cases the cows were
being fed a crop with barley straw at the
time of disease onset. The one animal
that was not being fed crop and straw
was considered by the attending vet to be
different from the other cases and could
possibly be excluded.
The consensus among several veterinary
pathologists was that the causal agent
was most likely a toxin produced by
an unknown bacterium. Stress of
the transition period and the dietary
changes that can accompany feeding
a crop were likely risk factors. Owing
to the sporadic nature of the disease,
conclusively establishing a cause was not
possible though it was most likely a toxic
enteropathy. No infectious cause was
found and the investigation was closed.
A pathologist phoned the MPI exotic
pest and disease hotline to report high
mortality in calves aged three and a
half to five months, at a calf-rearing
facility. An unusual or exotic strain of
Salmonella was suspected. Concern was
elevated because of the high mortality
rate (100 of 400 calves, or 25 percent).
Six weeks previously the calves had
developed diarrhoea and weight loss,
with oral ulcerations and fever in
some cases. Faecal culture isolated
Salmonella Typhimurium. Treatment and
preventative management (vaccination
plus supportive therapy) only partly
resolved the outbreak. Calves continued
to die and this eventually prompted
notification of MPI. Diagnostics at
the time included a second faecal
culture, which isolated Yersinia
pseudotuberculosis, and serology, which
showed elevated titres for bovine viral
diarrhoea virus (BVDV). The remaining
sick calves responded to antibiotics
and the mortality rate declined. This
was considered to be a multi-factorial
outbreak of enteritis caused by coinfection by BVDV, Salmonella and
Yersinia spp. BVDV can cause oral
ulcerations and also results in immune
system compromise, which may have
contributed to the severity of the
bacterial enteritis.
Brucellosis excluded
A district health board officer contacted
MPI to report a suspect case of
brucellosis in a child. The seven-year-old
had recently recovered from chickenpox
but had ongoing fever, joint pain and
a possible heart murmur. A Brucella
serum agglutination test (SAT) had
returned weak positive results. The
child had been in contact with farm and
companion animals in New Zealand
only and had no history of overseas
travel. Sheep on the farm were reportedly
infected with Brucella ovis, but this not
a zoonotic agent and no human cases
could be found in the literature. A SAT
re-test one month after the initial report
was negative for Brucella. This was
considered to be a case of non-specific
hyperimmunity following a viral disease.
Zoonotic brucellosis was ruled out and
the case was stood down.
Contagious caprine
pleuropneumonia ruled
out
A veterinary pathologist notified MPI
of a severe fibrinous pleuropneumonia
outbreak in a group of four-to-eightweek-old goat kids in the Manawatu.
The disease resembled contagious
caprine pleuropneumonia (CCP),
an exotic bacterial disease of goats
caused by Mycoplasma capricolum
ssp. capripneumoniae. Possible
endemic causes included Mannheimia
haemolytica, Histophilus somni and
Pasteurella multocida. Samples from
two dead kids were sent to the MPI
Animal Health Laboratory, where the
agent of CCP was ruled out by PCR and
culture. Culture of multiple lung, liver
and pleural fluid samples was positive
for Mannheimia haemolytica, which is
known to cause sporadic cases and small
outbreaks of acute pleuropneumonia
in goat kids. In this case the young age
of the kids, combined with transport
and mixing, probably contributed
to decreased respiratory defences,
thereby predisposing to development
of the disease.
Unusual arteritis
investigated
A veterinary pathologist contacted
MPI to report unusual arteritis lesions
in two lambs from a Southland sheep
farm. The microscopic lesions were
present in multiple organs but the renal
arterioles were most severely affected,
with lesions resembling those seen in
cattle with malignant catarrhal fever
(MCF), a widespread endemic disease
caused by ovine herpesvirus-2 (OvHV2).
Exotic causes of vasculitis or arteritis in
ruminants include orbiviral diseases such
as bluetongue and enzootic haemorrhagic
disease. Exotic differentials were excluded
by testing of serum samples from
17 flockmates. Serum was negative for
antibodies to bluetongue (by competitive
ELISA) and for enzootic haemorrhagic
disease (by AGID). Flockmates were
tested for the presence of OvHV2 and
nine of 17 were positive on nested PCR.
MCF is a disease of cattle. Sheep are
the host species of OvHV2, with high
rates of infection but no clinical disease.
Pathogenesis of MCF in cattle is thought
to involve stimulation of antibody
production, formation of antibodyantigen complexes within the blood,
lodging of complexes in artery walls, and
triggering of a type III hypersensitivity
reaction with resulting arteritis or
vasculitis. Several overseas reports
suggest that OvHV2 can cause MCFlike lesions in lambs (Lil et al., 2005;
Himsworth et al., 2008) although there
are also reports of idiopathic arteritis
in sheep (Ferreras et al., 2013) that
somewhat complicate the picture.
In the present case, it is considered most
likely that these lambs suffered from
MCF-like disease, possibly triggered
by infection with OvHV2. Proving a
causative role of OvHV2 in this case
is difficult or impossible, given the
existence of virus in healthy animals
and the complex disease pathogenesis.
Further characterisation of the OvHV2
virus involved in these cases is underway.
Mycoplasma ovis
confirmed
A pathologist reported to the MPI exotic
pest and disease hotline a goat with
severe anaemia. Examination of a blood
smear from the goat revealed red blood
cell inclusions resembling parasites.
There has been a previous historical
report of Eperythrozoon ovis (now
Mycoplasma ovis) in sheep in
New Zealand. This species can also be
passed to goats through transfer of blood.
A small survey was carried out in the
same management group as the affected
animal. Bloods were collected from
14 randomly selected goats and nine
goats were purposively selected because
they had clinical signs of anaemia.
The haematocrits (HCT) from two
(14 percent) of the randomly selected
group were anaemic (HCT < 0.27;
normal 27–45). In the purposively
selected group six (66 percent) were
anaemic. Blood samples from the affected
goats were tested for Mycoplasma ovis
using conventional PCR. Two of 11 goats
(18 percent) tested positive and both
of these had subnormal HCT. DNA
17
sequencing could not be carried out
but the banding on gel was identical
to that from an ancillary investigation
where M. ovis was confirmed. No other
potential differentials for anaemia
in goats were detected during this
investigation so M. ovis is the most likely
aetiology for the anaemia observed.
PRRS and PEDV ruled out
A veterinarian phoned the MPI exotic
pest and disease hotline to report scours
and coughing among three age-groups
of pigs on a lifestyle block in Otaki.
Adults, neonates and juvenile pigs were
affected and a significant proportion of
the 25 pigs present were affected over
a period of two days. Subsequently a
Massey University farm veterinarian
visited the property and reported that
the scouring and coughing had subsided.
A single sick pig was euthanased and
sampled for testing to rule out porcine
reproductive respiratory syndrome
virus (PRRSV) and porcine epidemic
diarrhoea virus (PEDV). Testing
identified porcine circovirus (PCV),
endemic bacterial pneumonia pathogens
and parasitism. The combination of
all of these likely resulted in the illthrift and clinical signs seen. The farm
veterinarian was advised of the findings,
vaccination was recommended and the
investigation closed.
Equine herpesvirus
myeloencephalitis
excluded
A 20-year-old mare in the Wellington
region developed hindlimb ataxia and
weakness after being transported by float.
Owing to recent interest in herpesviral
myeloencephalopathy, this case was
pursued to rule out herpesvirus as well
as the exotic differential West Nile Virus
(WNV) and other flaviviruses. Serum
was negative by PCR for EHV1, WNV
and generic flaviviruses antigens. The
mare recovered gradually over about
a week and was normal at last update.
The lack of clinical progression, lack of
affected herdmates and the recent history
of transport meant trauma was the most
likely cause of inco-ordination. The
investigation was stood down.
pest and disease hotline to report a foal
with progressive neurological signs.
The vet suspected equine herpesvirus
myeloencephalitis (EHM) but the
progression of clinical signs and age of
the foal were not typical of this disease.
The epidemiological information also
did not indicate this as a likely cause as
there was no direct or indirect link of
significance to the concurrent outbreak
in the region. There were no other
known risk factors, but the foal was on
a stud farm where continual movements
of horses and people, on and off the
property, were part of routine business.
The foal died and post-mortem samples
were negative on PCR for EHV1, EHV4,
EHV5, and a generic flavivirus PCR.
Histopathology found no lesions in the
brain but thrombosis in the liver and
lung, hepatitis, and endocarditis. These
findings were indicative of sepsis but
bacterial culture did not isolate any
pathogens (e.g. Rhodococcus equi). The
only finding was a positive PCR for
EHV2, which is unlikely to have been
a primary cause in the death of the foal
but could be a component cause. The
investigation was closed and as the farm
had no other clinically ill horses the risk
of EHM was considered negligible.
A veterinarian called the MPI exotic pest
and disease hotline to report a yearling
horse that was recumbent and then
ataxic when made to stand, with a high
temperature. The horse showed extreme
behaviour that could have been a sign
of a neurological problem or possibly
just an indication that it was not used
to being handled. This case came soon
after a localised outbreak of equine
herpesvirus 1 (EHV1) neurological strain
in the Waikato. While this is accepted
as being an endemic and sporadically
occurring virus, testing was done to
ascertain whether it had occurred in a
different region. The PCR for EHV1 on
a nasal swab and blood was negative, as
was a PCR for West Nile virus. EHV1
and EHV4 ELISA tests were negative.
Biochemistry and haematology results
suggested an infectious process. The
horse responded well to antibiotics and
made a full recovery.
EIA/EVA ruled out
A Gribbles veterinary pathologist
reported a horse for surveillance of
equine viral arteritis (EVA) and equine
infectious anaemia (EIA), via the MPI
exotic pest and disease hotline. The horse
was a New Zealand-born 26-year-old
Appaloosa with anaemia (HCT = 0.18;
reference range 0.24–0.44) and oedema
of distal limbs. The horse was the only
equid on the property and had been
isolated from other horses for a number
of years. A serum sample collected
during examination was submitted
to the Animal Health Laboratory and
tested negative by serology for EVA
(using VNT) and EIA (using AGID). The
horse subsequently died and because
of the risk assessment informed by the
negative findings and travel history no
postmortem was carried out. It is likely
that the horse died of age-related factors.
Brucella canis ruled
out
A veterinarian phoned the MPI
exotic pest and disease hotline to
report an adult male dog with suspect
Brucella canis infection. The dog had
inflammation of the testes and the
veterinarian could not rule out B. canis
on gross morphology. Histopathology on
the testes indicated testicular torsion and
PCR on the testicular tissue was negative
for B. canis so the investigation was
stood down.
pest and disease hotline to report an
eight-year-old French Mastiff with
an acutely enlarged scrotum and
subcutaneous oedema with neutrophilia.
An ulcerated area was present on the
right side of the scrotum. Differential
diagnoses included orchitis (caused
by the exotic agent Brucella canis or
by endemic bacteria) and enlargement
caused by neoplasia. The dog had no
travel history outside of New Zealand.
Fine needle aspirate of right and left
testes and an enlarged inguinal lymph
node was performed, which revealed
large numbers of mast cells with
decreased granules and an atypical
appearance. The diagnosis was testicular
mast cell tumour with possible metastasis
to the inguinal lymph node. Serological
testing was not carried out as a noninfectious aetiology was confirmed and
the investigation was stood down.
Avian influenza and
Newcastle disease
ruled out
A veterinarian rang the MPI exotic pest
and disease hotline to report a chicken
with torticollis from a backyard poultry
unit. Four out of 14 young birds had
died in the last four weeks. All had
hatched from the same clutch of eggs
purchased together. A freshly euthanased
diseased bird was postmortemed at
AHL Wallaceville and samples tested
negative by PCR for Newcastle disease
virus and avian influenza virus. Marek’s
disease was ruled out on gross pathology.
Histopathology indicated multifocal
hepatitis and encephalitis consistent with
bacterial or viral aetiologies. An endemic
cause of the disease was not determined
but the investigation was stood down.
A veterinary pathologist phoned the MPI
exotic pest and disease hotline to report
upper respiratory signs in 17 sub-adult
chickens at a property belonging to a
small hobby breeder in Kamo, Northland.
All birds had nasal discharge and
sneezing but improved over the course of
several weeks, with no deaths. The farm
veterinarian submitted an entire head
of one bird to the veterinary pathology
lab and on gross examination several
pinpoint to coalescing diphtheritic
plaques were noted on the respiratory
mucosa. Testing for the exotic diseases
avian influenza, Newcastle disease virus
and Ornithobacterium rhinotracheale was
performed at the AHL Wallaceville. All
these results were negative. Tests for the
endemic poxvirus were also negative. The
investigation excluded exotic diseases
and was stood down with no firm
aetiological diagnosis reached.
Exotic ticks ruled out
A veterinarian rang the MPI exotic pest
and disease hotline after finding some
unusual-looking ticks on an injured
shag. Samples were sent to the Plant
Health and Environment laboratory
(PHEL), Tamaki and identified as Ixodes
eudyptidis, the endemic New Zealand
seabird tick.
Distemper ruled out
A veterinary pathologist rang the MPI
exotic pest and disease hotline after
a clinically ill four-year-old Oriental
small-clawed otter (Aonyx linereus) in
a zoological collection tested positive
on a commercial snap test ELISA for
antibodies to canine distemper virus.
The otter was ill with pyothorax, from
which Actinomyces spp. bacteria were
cultured. EDTA blood samples and
nasal swabs from the affected otter and
two enclosuremates were negative for
distemper virus by PCR at the MPI
Animal Health Laboratory and by VNT
at an overseas reference laboratory.
The initial positive ELISA test was
presumed to be a non-specific crossreaction resulting in a false positive. The
investigation was closed.
References
Ferreras MC, Benavides J, Fuertes M, GarcíaPariente C, Muñoz M, Delgado L, Polledo L,
González J, García Marín JF, Pérez V (2013)
Pathological Features of Systemic Necrotizing
Vasculitis (Polyarteritis Nodosa) in Sheep. J.
Comp. Path. 149: 74–81
Himsworth CG, Harms NJ, Wobeser G, Hill J
(2008) Bilateral Perirenal Hemorrhage in two
Stone’s Sheep (Ovis Dalli Stonei): A Possible
Manifestation of Malignant Catarrhal Fever. J.
Vet. Diagn. Invest. 20: 676
Lil H, O’Toole D, Kim O, Oaks JL, Crawford TB
(2005) Malignant catarrhal fever-like disease
in sheep after intranasal inoculation with
ovine herpesvirus-2. J. Vet. Diagn. Invest. 17:
171–175
Paul Bingham
Team Manager
(Animals and Marine)
[email protected]
19
MARINE AND FRESHWATER
QUARTERLY REPORT OF INVESTIGATIONS OF SUSPECTED
EXOTIC MARINE AND FRESHWATER PESTS AND DISEASES
Mediterranean
fanworm range
extension confirmed
A mature Mediterranean fanworm
(Sabella spallanzanii) was found on the hull
of a vessel on a swinging mooring at Opua,
Bay of Islands. In response, the Northland
Regional Council (NRC) had the vessel
slipped and cleaned at the next available
opportunity. Fanworms have previously
been found in Northland and the species
is established in Whangarei Harbour
but the NRC is still running elimination
programmes for this species in this location.
The vessel had come from Halfmoon
Bay, Auckland, where it had apparently
been anti-fouled five months previously.
The Response team was engaged to liaise
further with the NRC. The next round of
surveillance was conducted at Opua four
months later and found no fanworms, so the
investigation was stood down.
Exotic marine pest and aquatic disease investigations are managed and
reported by MPI Investigation and Diagnostic Centre and Response,
Wallaceville. The following is a summary of investigations of suspected exotic
marine diseases and pests during the period from January to March 2014.
During a round of port surveillance at
Whangarei, divers found a high level of
hull fouling on the underside of a recentlyarrived fishing vessel. The fouling included
several thousand large Mediterranean
fanworms (Sabella spallanzanii). The vessel
was subsequently manually cleaned by
divers under direction of the Northland
Regional Council (NRC). It had spent
considerable time in Napier, Gisborne,
Tauranga and Bluff since leaving Auckland
in 2011. Response teams were engaged,
regional councils were contacted and
surveillance was undertaken in these places.
Although the direct risk from the fanworms
on the hull of the vessel concerned has been
mitigated by NRC actions, the presence
of this infected vessel in areas from which
the Mediterranean fanworm has not
been reported is a matter of considerable
concern. The Response teams and regional
authorities are co-ordinating further
surveillance and the present investigation
has been closed.
Paul Bingham
Team Manager
(Animals and Marine)
[email protected]
WEIGHING UP THE COSTS OF SURVEILLANCE TRAPPING
AND THE LIKELY BENEFITS FROM AVOIDING FUTURE PEST
DAMAGE
The use of attractant-baited traps
for surveillance can enable the early
detection of insect pests before
eradication becomes impossible.
In New Zealand, MPI carries out
surveillance trapping for a few key
insect pests, including gypsy moth
(Lymantria spp.) and fruit flies
(Tephritidae) (Acosta and White, 2011).
An external evaluation of New Zealand’s
Forest Health Surveillance Programme,
commissioned by the Forest Owners
Association in 2007, recommended
the implementation of a trap-based
surveillance programme for detecting
bark beetles and wood-boring insects.
These insects include some of the most
serious forest pests worldwide. Assisted
by the worldwide movement of wooden
packaging materials and live plants, many
such species have become successful
invaders, often causing substantial
and costly damage to forests. Recent
examples overseas are the emerald
ash borer (Agrilus planipennis), Asian
long-horned beetle (Anoplophora
glabripennis) and red-bay ambrosia
beetle (Xyleborus glabratus) (Aukema
et al., 2010). Numerous exotic borers
pose a potential threat to New Zealand’s
forest biosecurity and could have
serious implications for our plantation
forests and urban trees (Brockerhoff,
2009). A trap-based surveillance
programme (Brockerhoff et al., 2006)
could enable earlier detection of these
pests, increase the likelihood of success
and lower the costs of eradication and
containment, thus reducing the overall
cost of invasions.
A recent collaboration between scientists
in New Zealand and the United States
aimed to develop a detailed estimate of
the costs and benefits of a surveillance
trapping programme for these pests in
New Zealand. Cost-effective surveillance
strategies must account for tradeoffs
between investment in surveillance and
eventual control costs and damages
caused by invaders. The benefits of
such a programme are the expected
avoided costs resulting from the
enhanced surveillance, less the costs of
the programme.
Figure 1: Conceptual diagram illustrating the main components of the cost-benefit analysis of
surveillance trapping for invading wood borers and bark beetles. The analysis incorporates scenarios
for establishment, population growth and damages over time; trap density and likelihood of detection
and eradication relative to the size of infestations.
Figure 2: Once a population has been detected, eradication can be attempted at a cost that
increases with the size of an infestation. Invading populations cause damages to urban and
plantation forests for a number of years or until successful eradication. The cost-benefit analysis
compares the cost of trapping with the benefits of reduced damages and lower eradication and
management costs.
21
We developed and used a mechanistic
bio-economic model to represent
invasive species establishment, spread,
detection, control and impacts. The
model specifically relates the background
rate of population establishment
(b), surveillance intensity (i.e. trap
density, d) and the size of an invading
population over time, to the probability
of the population being detected.
This determines the expected success
and costs of eradication or control
programmes (Figures 1 and 2). The
model can be used to evaluate specific
surveillance programmes and to optimise
programme design to provide the
greatest benefits.
We considered damage to both urban
and plantation forests in our analyses,
based respectively on estimates of
urban tree replacement cost and harvest
value reduction. We evaluated the
implementation of a 30-year surveillance
programme focused on the four ports
(Auckland, Tauranga, Wellington and
Christchurch) that receive the most
imports (apart from some bulk cargoes
like petroleum) and hence have the
highest entry risk for wood borers
and bark beetles.
We also conducted analyses to
determine how sensitive the surveillance
programme’s cost-effectiveness is to
uncertainty in different inputs to the
model. For example, the rate of future
establishment of harmful wood borers
and bark beetles is uncertain. The
implementation of the International
Standard of Phytosanitary Treatments
No. 15 (ISPM 15) is expected to have
reduced the establishment rate, but it is
not 100 percent effective and there has
been a considerable increase in trade and
pathway volume by which borers can
arrive (Haack et al., 2014, Leung et al.,
2014). Nevertheless, ISPM 15 is expected
to be beneficial (Leung et al., 2014),
although there is still some risk
(Brockerhoff et al., 2014). We allowed
for this in our cost-benefit analysis and
applied three different establishment
rate scenarios, including the recent
(1980–2011) average establishment rate
in New Zealand and half that rate.
Our findings indicated that a surveillance
trapping programme for invasive wood
borers and bark beetles would have net
benefits under all scenarios considered.
Several examples are shown in Figure 3.
Even a modest number of traps would be
expected to be beneficial. For example,
with just 200 traps deployed continuously
for 30 years at an estimated present-value
cost of US$1.7 million1 (US$100 000
a year), there would be a net present
benefit of US$142 million (US$9.2
million a year) in reduced urban and
plantation forest damage (EpanchinNiell et al., 2014). With 1000 traps
costing about US$5.6 million (present
value) (US$400 000 a year), the expected
net present-value benefit would be about
US$227 million (US$14.8 million a year).
However, the optimal trapping strategy
involves a relatively high investment,
with about 10 000 traps at an estimated
350
300
Surveillance cost over 30 years
50
Expected net benefits
250
40
200
30
150
20
100
10
50
0
0
50
200
400
Total number of traps
1000
Expected net benefits (millions USD)
Surveillance cost over 30 years (million USD)
60
10000
cost of US$54 million (present value2)
(US$3.5 million a year). This strategy
would provide an expected net presentvalue benefit of about US$300 million
(US$19.5 million a year) by reducing
the expected total eradication cost and
damage from pests that might have
become established, and this would
provide a 39 percent cost reduction.
The extent of predicted net benefits varies
among the four port cities we considered.
The greatest benefits would be expected
in Tauranga and Auckland, where more
imports and invaders arrive than is the
case in Christchurch and Wellington
(Epanchin-Niell et al., 2014).
Sensitivity analyses suggest that these
findings hold even after allowing
for uncertainty in the model. While
surveillance is expected to reduce the
longer-term damage from invasive
wood borers and bark beetles, there are
other factors to consider: whether the
invasions actually eventuate; whether
they are detected, and what the degree
of eradication success is. These factors
are all influenced by stochasticity and
cannot be predicted with certainty.
The actual benefits will also depend
on the particular species and their
potential severity, the circumstances
under which they are detected, and
how the agencies concerned respond
(i.e. eradication efforts). Actual damage
might be greater or less than our analyses
suggest. Owing to this uncertainty, and in
recognition of the limited funds available,
we recommend that a trap-based
surveillance programme be implemented
whereby the level of surveillance effort
could be scaled to the available funds.
It is possible to determine an optimal
surveillance strategy, in terms of trap
numbers and locations, in relation
to the funds available. We note that
more damage is expected in urban
forests, where most invasions begin,
than in the more remote plantation
forests. Therefore, with any surveillance
programme for wood borer and bark
beetles there are many more beneficiaries
than just the forestry industry .
References
Acosta H, White P (2011) Atlas of Biosecurity
Surveillance. Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry,
Wellington, New Zealand.
Figure 3: Relationship between the number of traps and the costs and expected benefits of surveillance
trapping
We used US dollars as the base currency of our analyses as New Zealand’s logs are traded in this currency and because it enables
comparisons with similar studies in other countries. The long-term average exchange rate of NZ$1=US$0.65 was used throughout.
For a 5 percent discount rate.
1
2
Aukema JE, McCullough DG, Von Holle B,
Liebhold AM, Britton K, Frankel SJ (2010)
Historical accumulation of nonindigenous
forest pests in the continental United States.
BioScience 60: 886–897.
Brockerhoff EG (2009) Wood borer and bark
beetle risk analysis. Scion Report number
16833, for New Zealand Forest Biosecurity
Research Council. 23 pp.
Brockerhoff EG, Jones DC, Kimberley MO,
Suckling DM, Donaldson T (2006) Nationwide
survey for invasive wood-boring and bark beetles
(Coleoptera) using traps baited with pheromones
and kairomones. Forest Ecology and Management
228: 234–240.
Brockerhoff EG, Kimberley M, Liebhold
AM, Haack RA, Cavey JF (2014) Predicting
how altering propagule pressure changes
establishment rates of biological invaders across
species pools. Ecology 95: 594–601.
Epanchin-Niell RS, Brockerhoff EG, Kean
JM, Turner JA (2014) Designing cost-efficient
surveillance strategies for early detection of
invasive species: a case study on wood borers and
bark beetles. Ecological Applications, in press.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1890/13-1331.1.
Haack RA, Britton KO, Brockerhoff EG, Cavey
JF, Garrett LJ, Kimberley M, Lowenstein F,
Nuding A, Olson L, Turner J, Vasilaky K (2014)
Effectiveness of the International Phytosanitary
Standard ISPM No. 15 on reducing wood
borer infestation rates in wood packaging
material entering the United States. PLoS ONE
9(5): e96611.
Leung B, Springborn MR, Turner JA, Brockerhoff
EG (2014) Pathway level analysis of trade policy
for reducing invasive species risk: synthesis,
estimation and identification of data needs.
Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment
12: 273–279.
Eckehard G. Brockerhoff
Scion (New Zealand Forest Research
Institute)
P.O. Box 29237, Christchurch; and
Better Border Biosecurity (B3, b3nz.org)
[email protected]
Rebecca S. Epanchin-Niell
Resources for the Future
1616 P Street NW
Washington, DC 20036
USA
[email protected]
John M. Kean
AgResearch
Ruakura Research Centre
Private Bag 3123
Hamilton 3240; and
Better Border Biosecurity (B3, b3nz.org)
[email protected]
James A. Turner
AgResearch
Ruakura Research Centre
Private Bag 3123
Hamilton 3240
[email protected]
23
BIOSECURITY RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH TRADING ONLINE
AND GIFTS FROM OVERSEAS
Post-border exotic pest and disease
incursions threaten New Zealand’s
economy, environment, health and
cultural identity. Worldwide, the
increasing availability and volume of
on-line internet trade of plant material is
an emerging biosecurity risk. Two recent
cases highlight the challenges posed by
importation via the internet.
MPI was notified by a member of the
public of a plant product received as a gift
purchased from an overseas company’s
website. The product was a can that
contained a viable Canavalia ensiformis
(Jack bean) seed and planting substrate.
The plant did not meet the requirements
for import into New Zealand as it was
not recorded on the Plant Biosecurity
Index (PBI). Species not listed on the
PBI are ineligible for import as they are
not covered by a valid Import Health
Standard (IHS). The plant was deemed
a new organism under the Hazardous
Substances and New Organisms (HSNO)
Act 1996 so it was seized by MPI staff
and destroyed. MPI contacted the
overseas company, identified the risk
item and requested that the product be
removed from sale. The response was
swift and the product was immediately
removed for sale to New Zealand
customers. This was an excellent outcome
that required minimal effort, partly
owing to the proactive actions of the
recipient of the gift.
The second case concerned an illegal
import of a green alga (Aegagropila
linnaei) through the International Mail
Centre (IMC) from a large overseas web
store. Known as marimo (in Japan), or
moss balls (in aquarium shops), or lake
balls, this filamentous green alga forms
spherical balls several centimetres in
diameter (Figure 1) although it can
also occur in different growth forms
depending on environmental conditions
(Boedeker & Immers, 2009). In Japan,
marimo is a protected species (Kurogi,
1980) and in the northern hemisphere
lake balls are commonly used to
filter debris in fish tanks. A. linnaei
is not present in New Zealand and if
introduced could adversely impact
native aquatic plants and ecological
Figure 1: Lake balls (Aegagropila linnaei) in Lake Akan, Hokkaido, Japan (photo: I. Wakana)
systems, with devastating consequences
(Ingram, 2012). Under the HSNO,
A. linnaei is not eligible for import into
New Zealand as it is not covered by a
valid IHS under the Biosecurity Act 1993.
After ordering the moss balls the
New Zealand buyer contacted the
New Zealand Customs Service to confirm
the legality of importing them. The
enquiry was referred to MPI and the
local buyer provided helpful information
about the purchase and website. The
buyer immediately advised MPI when
the shipment was delivered and an MPI
Quarantine Inspector retrieved the
illegally imported product. Before the
moss balls were destroyed they were used
by MPI staff to train detector dogs at the
IMC. This was a valuable and positive
outcome from the investigation.
The web store (or e-shop front) used for
the purchase of the moss balls, like many
similar websites, did not directly control
what it sold. The challenges posed by
the increasing availability of goods on
line will likely increase in volume and
complexity. These cases demonstrate the
importance of New Zealand’s biosecurity
system and illustrate the pivotal role that
New Zealanders can play in biosecurity.
Encouraging the public to do the right
thing when trading on line or receiving
gifts from overseas helps protect
New Zealand from biosecurity risks.
References
Boedeker C, Immers A (2009) No more
lake balls (Aegagropila linnaei Kützing,
Cladophorophyceae, Chlorophyta) in The
Netherlands? Aquatic Ecology 43: 891–903.
Kurogi M (1980) Lake ball “Marimo” in Lake
Akan. Jap. J. Phycol. 28: 168–169.
Ingram K (2012) Aquaculture biosecurity
risks. New Zealand Aquaculture, November/
December, 3.
Carolyn Bleach
Incursion Investigator
Group
[email protected]
plants and environment investigation report:
january to march 2014
Brown crazy ant found
at Ports of Auckland
The invasive brown crazy ant
(Paratrechina longicornis) was found
in February 2014 through the National
Invasive Ant Surveillance Programme,
which is carried out annually at ports and
high-risk Transitional Facilities around
the country.
The pest control company Flybusters
Antiants visited the site at Ports of
Auckland and found P. longicornis
trailing near the base of a light pole on
the Fergusson Container Terminal. It is
common to find ants around light poles
and electrical systems. Exterm-An-Ant
toxic bait was placed to encourage ants to
forage and recruit to the bait. A nest was
identified in a gap in the concrete at the
base of the pole and two larger nests were
found further out.
The nest age, based on worker numbers,
was estimated at about a month for the
light pole nest and for the two bigger
nests, 2–3 months. The surrounding area
was sprayed with a residual insecticide
and Exterm-An-Ant toxic ant café bait
stations were deployed.
After two weeks a final site visit
was undertaken to check treatment
efficacy and the areas were re-baited
with Exterm-An-Ant. A single dead
P. longicornis was found in an ant café
bait station adjacent to the light pole.
No further ants were seen in the area,
indicating that all nests were destroyed.
Exotic ant found at
Auckland Transitional
Facility
Sixteen specimens of an exotic ant
species, Monomorium sp., were found at
an Auckland Transitional Facility during
the National Invasive Ant Surveillance
(NIAS) survey in February 2014.
Flybusters Antiants visited the site. The
original NIAS find was near a bunker
used for storing dangerous goods. Visual
searches were undertaken and attractant
bait was laid but no ants were seen. Two
follow-up surveys a week apart were
undertaken with attractant re-baiting
but no more ants were seen. The area
was treated with a residual insecticide
and toxic baits were laid. The area was
considered unlikely to be suitable for nest
establishment because of high vehicle
disturbance (close to a road), dry site and
little ant habitat. The case was closed.
Lora Peacock
Senior Adviser
Group
[email protected]
25
PEST WATCH: 15 FEBRUARY 2014 – 16 MAY 2014
Biosecurity is about managing risks: protecting New Zealand from exotic pests and diseases that could harm our natural resources and primary industries. MPI’s Investigation &
Diagnostic Centres and Response (IDC & R) directorate devotes much of its time to ensuring that new organism records come to its attention, and to following up as appropriate.
This information was collected from 15 February 2014 to 16 May 2014. The plant information is held in the MPI Plant Pest Information Network (PPIN) database. Wherever
possible, common names have been included. Records in this format were previously published in the now discontinued magazine Biosecurity.
To report suspect new pests and diseases to MPI phone 0800 80 99 66.
Validated new to New Zealand reports
Type
Organism
Host
Location
Submitted by
Comments
Bacterium
Ensifer medicae
no common name
Melilotus indicus
King Island melilot
Coromandel
IDC & R
(General Surveillance)
Melilotus indicus is able
to produce nitrogen-fixing
root nodules through the
microsymbiont Ensider medicae,
which has a cosmopolitan
distribution.
Fungus
Colletotrichum petchii
no common name
Dracaena deremensis
no common name
Coromandel
IDC & R
Host-specific fungus that causes
black lesions on leaves that slowly
progress toward the stem.
Fungus
Coniella fragariae
no common name
Fragaria x ananassa
strawberry
Auckland
IDC & R
Causes leaf spot on strawberry.
Fungus
Fusarium lactis
no common name
Capsicum annuum
sweet pepper
Mid Canterbury
IDC & R
An internal rot of sweet pepper.
No external symptoms observed,
though seeds and interior of the
fruits were covered with fungal
mycelium.
Mite
Euseius elinae
phytoseiid mite
Erythrina sp.
coral tree
Auckland
IDC & R
Predatory mite on leaf with a
phytophagous mite (Tetranychus
ludeni) infestation. Endemic to
Australia. Used for biological
control in Australian horticulture.
If you have any enquiries regarding this information please contact [email protected].
gribbles veterinary pathology
To report suspected exotic land, freshwater and
marine pests, or exotic diseases in plants or
animals, call:
0800 80 99 66
Investigation and Diagnostic Centre –
Wallaceville
66 Ward Street
Upper Hutt
Tel: 04 526 5600
Tamaki
231 Morrin Road
St Johns
Auckland
Tel: 09 909 3568
Christchurch
14 Sir William Pickering Drive
Christchurch
Tel: 03 943 3209
•
AUCKLAND
Courier: 37–41 Carbine Road, Mount Wellington, Auckland 1060
Postal: PO Box 12049, Penrose, Auckland 1642
Tel: 09 574 4701 Fax: 09 574 5304
•
HAMILTON
Courier: 57 Sunshine Ave, Hamilton 3240
Postal: PO Box 195, Hamilton 3240
Tel: 07 850 0777 Fax: 07 850 0770
•
PALMERSTON NORTH
Courier: 840 Tremaine Avenue, Palmerston North 4440
Postal: PO Box 536, Palmerston North 4440
Tel: 06 356 7100 Fax: 06 357 1904
•
CHRISTCHURCH
Courier: 7 Halkett Street, Christchurch 8140
Postal: PO Box 3866, Christchurch 8140
Tel: 03 379 9484 Fax: 03 379 9485
•
DUNEDIN
Courier: Invermay Research Centre, Block A, Puddle Alley, Mosgiel, Dunedin 9053
Postal: PO Box 371, Dunedin 9053
Tel: 03 489 4600 Fax: 03 489 8576
NEW ZEALAND VETERINARY PATHOLOGY
•
AUCKLAND
Courier: NZCCM, Gate 2, Auckland Zoo, Motions Road, Western Springs, Auckland 1022
Postal: PO Box 44 422, Point Chevalier, Auckland 1246
•
HAMILTON
Courier: Cnr Anglesea and Knox Streets, Hamilton
Postal: PO Box 944, Hamilton
Tel: 07 839 1470 Fax: 07 839 1471
•
PALMERSTON NORTH
Courier: IVABS Building, 1st Floor, Massey University,
Tennant Drive, Palmerston North
Postal: PO Box 325, Palmerston North
Tel: 06 353 3983 Fax: 06 353 3986

inside - Ministry for Primary Industries

Transcription

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