Fang Fang

Citation

Thesis Title
Leptospirosis diagnostics and exposure at the human and animal interface in New Zealand

Read article at Massey Research Online:

Ms Fang investigated key questions about leptospirosis diagnostics in animals and humans and the occupational risk at the human-animal interface in New Zealand. Her findings demonstrated the utility of real-time PCR for detecting Leptospira spp. in blood, urine and kidney samples from sheep and cattle and the utility of PCRs on blood for diagnosing acute human cases, indicating the potential benefit of using PCRs for leptospirosis diagnosis. The utility of a multi-locus sequence typing scheme to provide genotypic data of Leptospira was also demonstrated. The inter-laboratory comparison performed between a commercial and a research laboratory can assist researchers and diagnosticians in understanding the sometimes discrepant leptospirosis test results received. The seroprevalence and shedding rates of Leptospira spp. reported in abattoir livestock, and the seroprevalence of leptospirosis and exposure to putative risk factors demonstrated among veterinary students at Massey University helped providing greater understanding of occupational risk of leptospirosis.

Supervisors
Professor Jackie Benschop
Professor Peter Wilson
Professor Cord Heuer
Dr Julie Collins-Emerson