Wildlife diseases in New Zealand: recent findings and future challenges

Our knowledge of diseases in New Zealand wildlife has expanded rapidly in the last two decades. Much of this is due to a greater awareness of disease as a cause of mortality in some of our highly threatened species or as a limiting factor to the successful captive rearing of intensely managed species such as hihi (Notiomystis cincta), kiwi (Apteryx spp.) and kakapo (Strigops habroptilus). An important factor contributing to the increase of our knowledge has been the development of new diagnostic techniques in the fields of molecular biology and immunohistochemistry, particularly for the diagnosis and epidemiology of viral and protozoan diseases. Although New Zealand remains free of serious exotic viruses there has been much work on understanding the taxonomy and epidemiology of local strains of avipox virus and circoviruses. Bacterial diseases such as salmonellosis, erysipelas and tuberculosis have also been closely investigated in wildlife and opportunist mycotic infections such as aspergillosis remain a major problem in many species. Nutritional diseases such as hyperplastic goitre due to iodine deficiency and metabolic bone disease due to Ca:P imbalance have made significant impacts on some captive reared birds, while lead poisoning is a problem in some localities. The increasing use of wildlife translocations to avoid the extinction of threatened species has highlighted the need for improved methods to assess the disease risks inherent in these operations and other intensive conservation management strategies such as creching young animals. We have also become more aware of the likelihood of inbreeding suppression as populations of many species decrease or pass through a genetic bottleneck. Climate change and habitat loss, however, remain the greatest threats to biodiversity and wildlife health worldwide. Temperature changes will affect our wildlife habitats, alter the distribution of disease vectors and wildlife predators, or directly harm threatened species in vulnerable localities.     

Reconstructing past ocean pH-depth profiles

Measurement of boron isotope compositions in species of planktonic foraminifera that calcified their tests at different depths in the water column are used to reconstruct the pH profile of the upper water column of the tropical ocean. Results for five time windows from the middle Miocene to the late Pleistocene indicate pH-depth profiles similar to that of the modern ocean in this area, which suggests that this method may greatly aid in our understanding of the global carbon cycle.     

Capillary gas chromatographic detection of invert sugar in heated, adulterated, and adulterated and heated apple juice concentrates employing the equilibrium method.

The equilibrium method is introduced for the detection of invert sugar addition to apple juice. The method consists of a pre-equilibration of the sample with dry pyridine at 50 degrees C for 20 min followed by the addition of trimethylsilylimidazole and heating at 75 degrees C for 40 min. The resulting derivatized carbohydrates are then analyzed by capillary gas chromatography. This method was successfully used by independent laboratories to distinguish heated pure, intentionally adulterated (with invert sugar), and intentionally adulterated and then heated apple juice concentrates. The equilibrium method was shown to give significantly lower coefficients of variation for this sample set when compared to the original capillary gas chromatographic method. In addition, these results indicate that it may also be an effective method for the detection of medium invert sugar, depending on the level of the fingerprint oligosaccharides in this sweetener.     

Characterization of antibody response to porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus ORF5 product following infection and evaluation of its diagnostic use in pigs.

The sensitivity and specificity of recombinant open reading frame 5 products used in the Western blotting assay for confirmation of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) serologic status were evaluated. The recombinant antigen-based assays were specifically compared with a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for PRRSV antibodies using 1) PRRSV antibody-negative reference sera (n = 30), 2) naturally infected pig sera (n = 40), 3) sequential sera obtained from 24 experimentally infected pigs, and 4) sera submitted to 3 state diagnostic laboratories (n = 200). The recombinant antigen assay yielded an average increased sensitivity of 10% over the commercial PRRSV ELISA. The negative controls (group 1 sera) showed no difference between the 2 assays. This comparison confirmed that the recombinant antigen-specific assay was more sensitive than the commercial ELISA and is well suited for routine confirmation of the presence of PRRSV antibodies.     

Comparative genome analysis reveals a distinct influence of nucleotide composition on virus–host species‐specific interaction of prawn‐infecting nodavirus

Discovery of species‐specific interaction between the host and virus has drawn the interest of many researchers to study the evolution of the newly emerged virus. Comparative genome analysis provides insights of the virus functional genome evolution and the underlying mechanisms of virus–host interactions. The analysis of nucleotide composition signified the evolution of nodavirus towards host specialization in a host‐specific mutation manner. GC‐rich genome of betanodavirus was significantly deficient in UpA and UpU dinucleotides composition, whilst the AU‐rich genome of gammanodavirus was deficient in CpG dinucleotide. The capsid of MrNV and PvNV of gammanodavirus retains the highest abundance of adenine and uracil at the second codon position, respectively, which were found to be very distinctive from the other genera. ENC‐GC3 plot inferred the influence of natural selection and mutational pressure in shaping the evolution of MrNV RdRp and capsid, respectively. Furthermore, CAI/eCAI analysis predicts a comparable adaptability of MrNV in squid, Sepia officinalis than its natural host, Macrobrachium rosenbergii. Thus, further study is warranted to investigate the capacity of MrNV replication in S. officinalis owing to its high codon adaptation index.     

What side of town? How proximity to critical survival factors affects rural business longevity

This research adds to the literature on locational determinants of business survival by focusing on an establishment's proximity to fixed assets. Using longitudinal, establishment-level data from rural counties in the Midwestern United States, we developed a hazard model to estimate the likelihood of rural businesses surviving the Great Recession and the recovery that followed (2007–2017). Two critical survival factors are of principal interest: proximity to a pre-automobile era downtown business district and proximity to a limited-access highway ramp. The results suggest that highway proximity enhances survival for manufacturing, transportation, and wholesaling establishments, as does own-industry agglomeration. For food, retail, and accommodation businesses, proximity to cultural anchor institutions enhances the probability of survival but competitive effects, including downtown proximity, reduce the likelihood of survival. On its own, proximity to a downtown was not associated with higher odds of business survival.