Spatial epidemiology of the Asian honey bee mite (Varroa destructor) in the North Island of New Zealand.

We describe the spatial epidemiology of Varroa destructor infestation among honey bee apiaries in the greater Auckland area of the North Island of New Zealand. The study population was comprised of 641 apiaries located within the boundaries of the study area on 11 April 2000. Cases were those members of the study population declared Varroa-infested on the basis of testing conducted between April and June 2000.

Detection and characterisation of swine hepatitis E virus in New Zealand.

The objectives of the present study were to establish the presence of hepatitis E virus (HEV) in New Zealand pigs, first by testing for HEV antibody in pig herds throughout New Zealand to measure the herd prevalence, then by attempting to amplify HEV genomic sequences by PCR. Antibody was measured by two independently designed ELISA serology tests. HEV RNA fragments were amplified by RT-PCR of nucleic acid extracted from faeces of 10-12-week-old piglets using primers targeting ORF1, ORF2, and ORF2/3.

The 1997-1998 classical swine fever epidemic in The Netherlands--a survival analysis.

The aim of this analysis was to characterise the temporal pattern of infection during the 1997/98 classical swine fever (CSF) epidemic in The Netherlands and hence identify and quantify risk factors for infection in different enterprise types and areas. Survival analysis and Cox proportional hazards regression were used to describe the epidemic. Substantial differences in temporal survival patterns (herd breakdown rate) were found between areas where different control policies operated.

EpiMAN-SF: a decision-support system for managing swine fever epidemics.

During an outbreak of classical swine fever (hog cholera) or African swine fever, decisions in emergency headquarters have to be made under conditions of time pressure, limited resources and uncertainty. The computer program EpiMAN-SF is designed to support decision-making in this situation by providing up-to-date information and a structured approach to choosing from among competing tasks by combining electronic data management with expert system components. EpiMAN-SF provides accurate and timely summaries of the epidemic, using both text and graphics.