An Australian abroad : the secret life of the brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Veterinary Science at Massey University, Manawatu, New Zealand

Simple item page
dc.contributor.authorRichardson, Kyle Stephen
dc.date.accessioned2017-08-24T02:52:16Z
dc.date.available2017-08-24T02:52:16Z
dc.date.issued2016
dc.description.abstractThe “superspreader” hypothesis relates disease transmission to social contacts and assumes transmission is driven by the frequency, type and distribution of contacts among infected and susceptible individuals. I investigated characteristics of brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) home ranges for six wild free-living subpopulations, (four grids were studied; all of them before possum depopulation and two of them after possum depopulation) constructing social networks relevant to bovine tuberculosis (TB) transmission before and after depopulation. I also experimentally infected possums with a novel strain of TB to monitor secondary case infections in relation to these contact and other factors, including population density and sex ratio. Before depopulation home range estimates showed adult males had larger home ranges than female and younger possums. Home range overlap and area of overlap differed between subpopulations, and possum sex and age; with adult males having more and larger overlaps with other possums. Possums were fitted with proximity-logging collars and contacts registered between April and October, 2012. The number of connections an individual has with others and the probability of the distribution of contacts it has within the population, or node degree and betweenness, also known as the shortest distance between individuals, were associated with sex, with males having higher values for each. Males also contacted more possums than females. Post-depopulation results showed an influx of male possums, higher population density, and smaller home range sizes than before depopulation. Possums post-depopulation also lacked an apparent ‘routine’ in contact networks, interacting with other possums haphazardly. The greater level of contact among adult males, than before depopulation, and their effects on recovering populations post-depopulation, was likely the cause of more TB infection in adults and males. This thesis provides empirical evidence that adult male possums have home range and contact network characteristics that are likely to enhance their involvement in the transmission and persistence of TB, relative to female and younger possums. Observations of experimentally infected individuals showed that infected males survived longer than females and that, as a consequence, those males potentially acted as a “supershedding” subgroup. I therefore provide evidence that adult male possums are the most important drivers of TB transmission and persistence of infection in populations, and could be targeted for control measures.en_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10179/11706
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherMassey Universityen_US
dc.rightsThe Authoren_US
dc.subjectTrichosurus vulpeculaen_US
dc.subjectBrushtail possumen_US
dc.subjectHome rangeen_US
dc.subjectControlen_US
dc.subjectTuberculosisen_US
dc.subjectTuberculosis in cattleen_US
dc.subjectOrongorongo Valleyen_US
dc.subjectNew Zealanden_US
dc.subjectResearch Subject Categories::VETERINARY MEDICINE::Veterinary epidemiologyen_US
dc.titleAn Australian abroad : the secret life of the brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Veterinary Science at Massey University, Manawatu, New Zealanden_US
dc.typeThesisen_US
massey.contributor.authorRichardson, Kyle
thesis.degree.disciplineVeterinary Scienceen_US
thesis.degree.grantorMassey Universityen_US
thesis.degree.levelDoctoralen_US
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Philosophy (PhD)en_US
Files
Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
Thumbnail Image
Name:
01_front.pdf
Size:
107.08 KB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Download
Thumbnail Image
Name:
02_whole.pdf
Size:
1.28 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Download
License bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
license.txt
Size:
3.32 KB
Format:
Item-specific license agreed upon to submission
Description:
Download
Collections
Theses and Dissertations