scholarly journals Metagenomic discovery and co-infection of diverse wobbly possum disease viruses and novel hepaciviruses in Australian brushtail possums

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei-Shan Chang ◽  
John-Sebastian Eden ◽  
William J. Hartley ◽  
Mang Shi ◽  
Karrie Rose ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Disease Virus ◽  
Pest Species ◽  
Abnormal Gait ◽  
Viral Aetiology ◽  
Introduced Pest ◽  
The Face ◽  
Distinct Lineage ◽  
Case Diagnosis ◽  
Insight Into

AbstractBackgroundAustralian brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula) are an introduced pest species in New Zealand, but native to Australia where they are protected for biodiversity conservation. Wobbly possum disease (WPD) is a fatal neurological disease of Australian brushtail possums described in New Zealand populations that has been associated with infection by the arterivirus (Arteriviridae) wobbly possum disease virus (WPDV-NZ). Clinically, WPD-infected possums present with chronic meningoencephalitis, choroiditis and multifocal neurological symptoms including ataxia, incoordination, and abnormal gait.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective investigation to characterise WPD in native Australian brushtail possums, and used a bulk meta-transcriptomic approach (i.e. total RNA-sequencing) to investigate its potential viral aetiology. PCR assays were developed for case diagnosis and full genome recovery in the face of extensive genetic variation.ResultsWe identified a distinct lineage of arteriviruses from archival tissues of WPD-infected possums in Australia, termed wobbly possum disease virus AU1 and AU2. Phylogenetically, WPDV-AU1 and WPDV-AU2 shared only ∼70% nucleotide similarity to each other and the WPDV-NZ strain, suggestive of a relatively ancient divergence. Notably, we identified a novel and divergent hepacivirus (Flaviviridae) - the first in a marsupial - in both WPD-infected and uninfected possums, indicative of virus co-infection.ConclusionsWe have identified a distinctive marsupial-specific lineage of arteriviruses in mainland Australia that is genetically distinct from that in New Zealand, in some cases co-infecting animals with a novel hepacivirus. Our study provides new insight into the hidden genetic diversity of arteriviruses, the capacity for virus co-infection, and highlights the utility of meta-transcriptomics for disease investigation and surveillance in a One Health context.

scholarly journals Metagenomic discovery and co-infection of diverse wobbly possum disease viruses and a novel hepacivirus in Australian brushtail possums

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei-Shan Chang ◽  
John-Sebastian Eden ◽  
William J. Hartley ◽  
Mang Shi ◽  
Karrie Rose ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Disease Virus ◽  
One Health ◽  
Pest Species ◽  
Abnormal Gait ◽  
Viral Aetiology ◽  
Introduced Pest ◽  
The Face ◽  
Case Diagnosis ◽  
Insight Into

Abstract Background Australian brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula) are an introduced pest species in New Zealand, but native to Australia where they are protected for biodiversity conservation. Wobbly possum disease (WPD) is a fatal neurological disease of Australian brushtail possums described in New Zealand populations that has been associated with infection by the arterivirus (Arteriviridae) wobbly possum disease virus (WPDV-NZ). Clinically, WPD-infected possums present with chronic meningoencephalitis, choroiditis and multifocal neurological symptoms including ataxia, incoordination, and abnormal gait. Methods We conducted a retrospective investigation to characterise WPD in native Australian brushtail possums, and used a bulk meta-transcriptomic approach (i.e. total RNA-sequencing) to investigate its potential viral aetiology. PCR assays were developed for case diagnosis and full genome recovery in the face of extensive genetic variation. Results We identified genetically distinct lineages of arteriviruses from archival tissues of WPD-infected possums in Australia, termed wobbly possum disease virus AU1 and AU2. Phylogenetically, WPDV-AU1 and WPDV-AU2 shared only ~ 70% nucleotide similarity to each other and the WPDV-NZ strain, suggestive of a relatively ancient divergence. Notably, we also identified a novel and divergent hepacivirus (Flaviviridae) - the first in a marsupial - in both WPD-infected and uninfected possums, indicative of virus co-infection. Conclusions We have identified marsupial-specific lineages of arteriviruses in mainland Australia that are genetically distinct from that in New Zealand, in some cases co-infecting animals with a novel hepacivirus. Our study provides new insight into the hidden genetic diversity of arteriviruses, the capacity for virus co-infection, and highlights the utility of meta-transcriptomics for disease investigation in a One Health context.

scholarly journals Preliminary observations of the impacts the 22 February Christchurch earthquake had on organisations and the economy

2011 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 65-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanne R. Stevenson ◽  
Hlekiwe Kachali ◽  
Zachary Whitman ◽  
Erica Seville ◽  
John Vargo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Early Recovery ◽  
Regional Economic ◽  
Economic Implications ◽  
Major Earthquake ◽  
Economic Climate ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
The Face ◽  
Insight Into

On 22 February 2011, Canterbury and its largest city Christchurch experienced its second major earthquake within six months. The region is facing major economic and organisational challenges in the aftermath of these events. Approximately 25% of all buildings in the Christchurch CBD have been “red tagged” or deemed unsafe to enter. The New Zealand Treasury estimates that the combined cost of the February earthquake and the September earthquake is approximately NZ$15 billion [2]. This paper examines the national and regional economic climate prior to the event, discusses the immediate economic implications of this event, and the challenges and opportunities faced by organisations affected by this event. In order to facilitate recovery of the Christchurch area, organisations must adjust to a new norm; finding ways not only to continue functioning, but to grow in the months and years following these earthquakes. Some organisations relocated within days to areas that have been less affected by the earthquakes. Others are taking advantage of government subsidised aid packages to help retain their employees until they can make long-term decisions about the future of their organisation. This paper is framed as a “report from the field” in order to provide insight into the early recovery scenario as it applies to organisations affected by the February 2011 earthquake. It is intended both to inform and facilitate discussion about how organisations can and should pursue recovery in Canterbury, and how organisations can become more resilient in the face of the next crisis.

scholarly journals The Prince and the railwaymen: the origins of the 1920 Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants' strike

1970 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
P. M. Revell
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
The Face ◽  
History Of ◽  
Insight Into

This paper provides an account of the events which culmininated in the 1920 railways strike. Focusing on the period 1913-1920. it exa1nines the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants' (ASRS) executive's attempts to provide for the members needs in the face of ever increasing difficulties. It also provides some insight into the history of other labour groups and illustrates how workers in New Zealand united once rheir problems became too big to handle alone. Nevertheless the policies followed by the ASRS execurive were always those which were expected to yield the most benefits to ASRS numbers despite the feelings of orher labour groups.

An Immigrant Filmmaker Substitutes an Alternative Vision of Adolescence: The Scarecrow (Sam Pillsbury, 1982)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alistair Fox
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Cinematic Adaptation ◽  
Alternative Vision ◽  
The Face ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Genre Film

By comparing Sam Pillsbury’s cinematic adaptation of Ronald Hugh Morrieson’s The Scarecrow (1963) with the original, this chapter shows how the filmmaker, who was raised in the USA and immigrated to New Zealand in his teens, empties the source novel of the moral ambiguities and transgressive elements that had made the original a genuinely New Zealand work, in so far as it reflected puritan guilt over transgressive impulses in the face of repression, and thus turned the story into a genre film that that is much more anodyne in its vision.

The Relationship between Seeker and Spiritual Guide as portrayed in contemporary Western Sufi Autobiographies

2011 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 297-332
Author(s):  
Kate Zebiri
Keyword(s):  
Life Writing ◽  
New Age ◽  
The Self ◽  
Individual Autonomy ◽  
Religious Authority ◽  
The Face ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Continuity And Discontinuity

This article aims to explore the Shaykh-mur?d (disciple) or teacher-pupil relationship as portrayed in Western Sufi life writing in recent decades, observing elements of continuity and discontinuity with classical Sufism. Additionally, it traces the influence on the texts of certain developments in religiosity in contemporary Western societies, especially New Age understandings of religious authority. Studying these works will provide an insight into the diversity of expressions of contemporary Sufism, while shedding light on a phenomenon which seems to fly in the face of contemporary social and religious trends which deemphasize external authority and promote the authority of the self or individual autonomy.

Locking down behavioural compliance: The role of emotion and emotion regulation in breaches of COVID-19 mitigation measures in Aotearoa New Zealand

2021 ◽  
pp. 135910532110299
Author(s):  
Terise Broodryk ◽  
Kealagh Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Young Adults ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Health Behaviours ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Aotearoa New Zealand ◽  
High Knowledge ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Insight Into

Although anxiety and worry can motivate engagement with COVID-19 preventative behaviours, people may cognitively reframe these unpleasant emotions, restoring wellbeing at the cost of public health behaviours. New Zealand young adults ( n = 278) experiencing nationwide COVID-19 lockdown reported their worry, anxiety, reappraisal and lockdown compliance. Despite high knowledge of lockdown policies, 92.5% of participants reported one or more policy breaches ( M  = 2.74, SD = 1.86). Counter to predictions, no relationships were found between anxiety or worry with reappraisal or lockdown breaches. Findings highlight the importance of targeting young adults in promoting lockdown compliance and offer further insight into the role of emotion during a pandemic.

Newsmaking criminology in Australia and New Zealand: Results from a mixed methods study of criminologists’ media engagement

2019 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 84-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Iliadis ◽  
Imogen Richards ◽  
Mark A Wood
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
News Media ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mixed Methods Study ◽  
The Past ◽  
Professional Duty ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Survey Responses ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Newsmaking Criminology

‘Newsmaking criminology’, as described by Barak, is the process by which criminologists contribute to the generation of ‘newsworthy’ media content about crime and justice, often through their engagement with broadcast and other news media. While newsmaking criminological practices have been the subject of detailed practitioner testimonials and theoretical treatise, there has been scarce empirical research on newsmaking criminology, particularly in relation to countries outside of the United States and United Kingdom. To illuminate the state of play of newsmaking criminology in Australia and New Zealand, in this paper we analyse findings from 116 survey responses and nine interviews with criminologists working in universities in these two countries, which provide insight into the extent and nature of their news media engagement, and their related perceptions. Our findings indicate that most criminologists working in Australia or New Zealand have made at least one news media appearance in the past two years, and the majority of respondents view news media engagement as a professional ‘duty’. Participants also identified key political, ethical, and logistical issues relevant to their news media engagement, with several expressing a view that radio and television interviewers can influence criminologists to say things that they deem ‘newsworthy’.

scholarly journals Stochasticity and heterogeneity in host–vector models

2007 ◽  
Vol 4 (16) ◽  
pp. 851-863 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alun L Lloyd ◽  
Ji Zhang ◽  
A.Morgan Root
Keyword(s):  
Branching Process ◽  
Moment Equations ◽  
Demographic Stochasticity ◽  
The Face ◽  
Process Methodology ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Malaria Model ◽  
Heterogeneous Transmission ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Stochastic Extinction

Demographic stochasticity and heterogeneity in transmission of infection can affect the dynamics of host–vector disease systems in important ways. We discuss the use of analytic techniques to assess the impact of demographic stochasticity in both well-mixed and heterogeneous settings. Disease invasion probabilities can be calculated using branching process methodology. We review the use of this theory for host–vector infections and examine its use in the face of heterogeneous transmission. Situations in which there is a marked asymmetry in transmission between host and vector are seen to be of particular interest. For endemic infections, stochasticity leads to variation in prevalence about the endemic level. If these fluctuations are large enough, disease extinction can occur via endemic fade-out. We develop moment equations that quantify the impact of stochasticity, providing insight into the likelihood of stochastic extinction. We frame our discussion in terms of the simple Ross malaria model, but discuss extensions to more realistic host–vector models.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document