Time-space clustering of reported blowfly strike in Queensland sheep flocks

The reported occurrence of blowfly strike in 57 sheep flocks in Queensland, Australia, was investigated for time-space clustering in an exploratory study using Knox's method. Flystrike occurrence peaked in late spring and early summer, with an additional late-autumn peak in southern-Queensland flocks. A total of 1596 case-pairs was examined. Significant clustering (P = 0.07) was only detected for case-pairs occurring within 3 months and 150 km of each other; 164 case-pairs were declared close compared to an expectation of 151. We suggest that factors common to a district (such as rainfall and temperature) are responsible for clustering of flystrike in Queensland.