Ferrets as vectors of bovine Tb in New Zealand: a review
A.E. BYROM
Landcare Research, PO Box 69, Lincoln 8152, New Zealand
E-Mail:
Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production 2001. 61:
60-63
Feral ferrets (Mustela furo) are a serious pest of agricultural
importance because they transmit bovine tuberculosis (Mycobacterium
bovis; Tb) to domestic livestock. They therefore pose a significant risk
to New Zealand’s international trade in dairy, beef and venison
products. The most likely route of infection to ferrets is oral, through
killing and eating infected prey or scavenging infected carrion
(particularly possums). Indeed, the prevalence of Tb in ferrets is
positively correlated with possum abundance and infected possums. Male
ferrets have a higher prevalence of Tb than females, and adult ferrets
have higher prevalence than juveniles. It is still not clear whether Tb
can cycle independently in feral ferrets in the absence of external
(non-ferret) sources of infection (i.e., "maintenance hosts") or whether
the disease is simply "spillover" infection from other wildlife
populations (predominantly possums). Available evidence suggests that
ferrets are more likely to be spillover than maintenance hosts in most
habitats in New Zealand. However, several aspects of the epidemiology of
Tb in feral ferrets, and the ecology of feral ferrets, need to be
investigated in order to resolve this debate.
Keywords: NZSAPAB;
bovine tuberculosis; ferret; maintenance host; Mustela furo;
Mycobacterium bovis; spillover host; vector
Last Updated 7/08/01
