Journal Articles
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/7915
Browse
3 results
Search Results
Item An assessment of the accuracy of morphological techniques for identifying Lucilia cuprina and Lucilia sericata (Diptera: Calliphoridae)(Taylor and Francis Group on behalf of the New Zealand Veterinary Association, 2025-10-13) Brett PTJ; Lawrence KE; Kenyon PR; Gedye K; Fermin LM; Pomroy WAims: To assess the accuracy of the morphological identification of Lucilia cuprina and Lucilia sericata by using molecular analysis as a reference standard test, and to describe the seasonality of these species. Methods: A convenience sample of L. cuprina and L. sericata flies was caught on eight farms from across New Zealand and stored at room temperature in 70% alcohol. They were first morphologically identified using published keys and then molecularly identified using primers to amplify the 28S rRNA region of the nuclear genome. The accuracy of the morphological identification was then estimated for each species using the molecular identification as a reference standard test. The correctness of the published keys was also tested by re-examining a sample of misidentified flies using enhanced magnification and photography. Results: The accuracy of the morphological identification for L. cuprina was 0.66 (95% CI = 0.58–0.73) and for L. sericata was 0.7 (95% CI = 0.62–0.77). There was no evidence for a difference in accuracy between species (p = 0.56), and re-examination of the misidentified flies found no faults in the published keys. The study confirmed that L. cuprina has a longer season of activity than L. sericata. Conclusions: These results emphasise the need to use molecular methods to confirm the identification of these species, especially when dealing with large, stored collections, rather than to rely on morphological identification alone. Clinical relevance: Without accurate fly identification and knowledge of insecticide resistance status, effective control and prevention of flystrike in New Zealand could be handicapped.Item Theileria orientalis Ikeda infection detected in red deer but not dogs or horses in New Zealand.(2024-09-02) Lawrence KE; Gedye K; Carvalho L; Wang B; Fermin LM; Pomroy WEAIMS: To determine whether evidence for infection with Theileria orientalis (Ikeda) could be identified in samples of commercial red deer (Cervus elaphus), horses, and working farm dogs in New Zealand. METHODS: Blood samples were collected during October and November 2019 from a convenience sample of red deer (n = 57) at slaughter. Equine blood samples (n = 50) were convenience-sampled from those submitted to a veterinary pathology laboratory for routine testing in January 2020. Blood samples, collected for a previous study from a convenience sample of Huntaway dogs (n = 115) from rural regions throughout the North and South Islands of New Zealand between August 2018 and December 2020, were also tested. DNA was extracted and quantitative PCR was used to detect the T. orientalis Ikeda major piroplasm surface protein (MPSP) gene. A standard curve of five serial 10-fold dilutions of a plasmid carrying a fragment of the T. orientalis MPSP gene was used to quantify the number of T. orientalis organisms in the samples. MPSP amplicons obtained by end-point PCR on positive samples were isolated and subjected to DNA sequencing. The resulting sequences were compared to previously published T. orientalis sequences. RESULTS: There were 6/57 (10%) samples positive for T. orientalis Ikeda from the deer and no samples positive for T. orientalis Ikeda from the working dogs or horses. The mean infection intensity for the six PCR-positive deer was 5.1 (min 2.2, max 12.4) T. orientalis Ikeda organisms/µL. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Red deer can potentially sustain low infection intensities of T. orientalis Ikeda and could act as reservoirs of infected ticks. Further studies are needed to determine whether naïve ticks feeding on infected red deer can themselves become infected. ABBREVIATIONS: Cq: Quantification cycle; LOQ: Limits of quantification; MPSP: Major piroplasm surface protein; qPCR: Quantitative polymerase chain reaction.Item Smooth muscle hamartoma in a castrated male red deer (Cervus elaphus) in New Zealand.(Taylor and Francis Group, 2023-07-01) Johnson SG; Fermin LM; Aberdein D; Lawrence KEReports of neoplasia in deer remain rare (Hill and Staples Citation1999), despite the conviction that as deer farming became more common, a greater number of pathological processes, including tumours, would be recognised in deer (Pérez et al. Citation1998). Skin tumours are among the most common neoplasms reported in red deer (Cervus elaphus) and are usually papillomavirus-associated dermal fibropapillomas and papillomas (Erdélyi et al. Citation2009; Vaatstra et al. Citation2014; Garcês et al. Citation2020). Additional reports of cutaneous and subcutaneous tumours in red deer include malignant schwannoma and dermal malignant melanoma (Pérez et al. Citation1998; Scandrett and Wobeser Citation2004). In related deer species, subcutaneous dermoid cysts have been described in caribou (Rangifer tarandus) (Wobeser et al. Citation2009) and cutaneous fibromas in predominantly male white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) (Berry Citation1925; Friend Citation1967; Sundberg and Nielsen Citation1982).