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Abstract
Extract
The brushtail possum is the most important pest species in New Zealand as a result of its ecological and agricultural impact. Current methods of control are costly and only temporarily effective. As a result there is a continuing research effort to develop a biological control method for this species. Research is being conducted to provide a detailed understanding of the reproductive physiology, immunology, parasitology and microbiology of this species. Part of this work aims to identify microbial agents that may be of use in the biological control of possums, either as high mortality pathogens or as immunocontraceptive vectors. Investigation of outbreaks of illness in captive or wild possums is one of the methods being used to document these pathogens, and is a relatively new field of investigation. Although there have been outbreaks of disease in possum-holding facilitiesCitation (1) Citation (2) , many animals are submitted with little or no history by members of the public. These animals represent a valuable resource in terms of the disease agents they may be carrying, but clinical investigation is complicated by frequent cases of non-infectious disease such as trauma, malnutrition, stress-induced illness and toxicity. As part of a preliminary screen of suspected disease cases, we rely on routine haematology and biochemistry to provide information on the disease processes which may be present.