Stefan Smith

Citation

Thesis Title
Systemic Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis infection in sheep.

Read article at Massey Research Online:

In New Zealand, 75 percent of sheep farms have the bacterium Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) present. On these farms, up to 50 percent of sheep may be infected, although less than one percent develops Johne's disease. This is characterised by weight loss and terminal emaciation. Crohn's disease is a similar wasting disease in humans with MAP associated in some cases. This may prove problematic for the meat industry, if MAP infected meat becomes a perceived public health risk. In naturally infected sheep, Mr Smith's investigations found systemic MAP infection to only occur in those animals with Johne's disease. Currently, meat from these animals enter the human food chain. To mitigate this, he developed two new diagnostic tests that identify systemically infected carcases. One of these tests has potential to be installed into abattoirs, worldwide, enabling real time mass screening and the prevention of infected carcases being processed for human consumption.

Supervisors
Professor David West
Professor Peter Wilson
Associate Professor Paul Chambers
Professor Cord Heuer
Dr Geoffrey Delisle