https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/massey/oai:mro.massey.ac.nz:10179/2480
type: CreativeWork
name: The use of habitat analysis in the control of wildlife tuberculosis in New Zealand : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Massey University
description: The brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) acts as a wildlife reservoir of Mycobacterium bovis infection for farmed livestock and other wildlife species in areas covering an estimated 23 percent of New Zealand. This reservoir of infection is severely hampering efforts to eradicate TB from farmed animals in New Zealand. New strategies need to be developed that focus on identifying areas of residual TB infection in possums and eradicating them, while maintaining low broad-scale population levels in the most cost-effective way. This thesis comprise a number of studies that apply multivariate modelling techniques and spatial analytical procedures to evaluate spatial patterns of possum habitat and of TB occurrence in cattle herds, and hence to identify high-risk localities for possum-derived TB and target control strategies of varying intensity where each will be most cost-effective. An initial case-control study of 132 possum capture sites was used to identify habitat and topographic factors at the scale of the possum home range that were predictors of the probability of capturing tuberculous possums. Data on the following factors were collected from a 50 meter square area at each capture site: abundance of plant species and structural features of vegetation, the abundance and quality of available den sites, and topographic factors such as slope and aspect. Data were analysed using unconditional logistic regression modelling. Slope of the land and factors associated with the quality of dens were associated with the probability of capturing multiple TB possums. Slope of the land, height of trees, percent cover of vegetation in the height range 0.3 - 2 metres and percent of the ground covered in vascular vegetation were associated with the probability of capturing single TB possums. A subsequent case control study was conducted at the larger scale of farms to identify possum habitat, geographic and farm factors associated with the probability of tuberculous possums bein…
abstract: The brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) acts as a wildlife reservoir of Mycobacterium bovis infection for farmed livestock and other wildlife species in areas covering an estimated 23 percent of New Zealand. This reservoir of infection is severely hampering efforts to eradicate TB from farmed animals in New Zealand. New strategies need to be developed that focus on identifying areas of residual TB infection in possums and eradicating them, while maintaining low broad-scale population levels in the most cost-effective way. This thesis comprise a number of studies that apply multivariate modelling techniques and spatial analytical procedures to evaluate spatial patterns of possum habitat and of TB occurrence in cattle herds, and hence to identify high-risk localities for possum-derived TB and target control strategies of varying intensity where each will be most cost-effective. An initial case-control study of 132 possum capture sites was used to identify habitat and topographic factors at the scale of the possum home range that were predictors of the probability of capturing tuberculous possums. Data on the following factors were collected from a 50 meter square area at each capture site: abundance of plant species and structural features of vegetation, the abundance and quality of available den sites, and topographic factors such as slope and aspect. Data were analysed using unconditional logistic regression modelling. Slope of the land and factors associated with the quality of dens were associated with the probability of capturing multiple TB possums. Slope of the land, height of trees, percent cover of vegetation in the height range 0.3 - 2 metres and percent of the ground covered in vascular vegetation were associated with the probability of capturing single TB possums. A subsequent case control study was conducted at the larger scale of farms to identify possum habitat, geographic and farm factors associated with the probability of tuberculous possums bein…
author: McKenzie, Joanna
keywords: Trichosurus vulpecula, Habitat, Control, Tuberculosis in cattle, Epidemiology, New Zealand, Brushtail possum, Possum
date published: 1999
date modified: 2026-07-27T20:18:10Z
provider: Massey University
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Massey University