Letters to the editor

Abstract

Extract

Sir,—Although the incidence and distribution of tuberculosis of cattle in New Zealand are now fairly well known as a result of the tuberculosis eradiction programme, the situation with regard to other domestic, wild, and feral animals is not so clear. There is no doubt that the natural primary host s of Mycrobacterium bovis in New Zealand are domestic cattle. However, the organism is capable of infecting many other mammals including man, and the infection is naturally most likely to occur in animals coming into close contact with infected cattle or their formites. Amongst the free-living wild mammals of new Zealand, one of the most numerous is the opossum (Trichosurus vulpecula) and the feral pig is common in some areas.