Jaimie Hunnam

Citation

Thesis Title
The epidemiology of Johne's disease in NZ farmed deer, including validation of abattoir-based surveillance

Read article at Massey Research Online:

Johne’s (“Yoh-nees”) disease is a fatal condition predominately affecting ruminant livestock and has become a serious economic risk to New Zealand deer farmers. Mr Hunnam’s research represented the first investigation of Johne’s disease at the herd-level in any deer farming industry. The thesis encompassed two main areas: to further our knowledge of Johne’s disease in farmed deer and to validate a national abattoir-based surveillance scheme for Johne’s disease-like lesions. The abattoir scheme is now internationally recognised as the most comprehensive surveillance system for Johne’s disease in any farmed species worldwide, capturing information on 100% of commercially slaughtered deer. This research also provided the foundation for future examination of Johne’s disease in this species, as well as guiding the development of control strategies for New Zealand deer farmers.

Supervisors
Professor Peter Wilson
Professor David West
Professor Cord Heuer