Publications by authors named "Joanne Allen"

Once rodents have been successfully eradicated from Lord Howe Island, Australia, the critically endangered Lord Howe Island stick insect (Dryococelus australis (Montrouzier)) may be reintroduced, a century after it was thought to have become extinct. In captive populations of D. australis, elevated mortalities have been associated with bacterial pathogens.

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The bacterial agent that causes fowl cholera, Pasteurella multocida, was isolated from two deceased wild waterbirds in Victoria, Australia, in 2013. Whole genome sequence analysis placed the isolates into ST20, a subtype described in farmed chickens from Queensland, Australia and more recently in feedlot cattle and in pigs across a broader area of the continent. This study also found ST20 between 2009 and 2022 on three chicken farms and two turkey farms located in four Australian states.

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Older adults represent a large and growing section of Aotearoa New Zealand's population. Longitudinal research on experiences of later life enables understanding of both the capabilities with which people are ageing, and their determinants. The Health, Work, and Retirement (HWR) study has to date conducted eight biennial longitudinal postal surveys of health and well-being with older people ( = 11,601 respondents; 49.

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Article Synopsis
  • A study at Melbourne Zoo observed unexpected deaths in an endangered stick insect species, Dryococelus australis, between 2014 and 2019, prompting an investigation into the cause.
  • Researchers isolated Serratia spp. bacteria from sick and dead insects, suggesting that the infections were responsible for the mortalities, and identified a predominant strain profile through genotyping.
  • Further analysis and experimental infection in honey bees confirmed the isolated strain (AM923) as S. ureilytica, highlighting its potential pathogenicity and leading to the development of a PCR assay for detecting similar entomopathogenic bacteria in insects.
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Objectives: To assess the impact of providing care and conditions of care on psychological wellbeing among older informal caregivers following the initial period of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Methods: Data were from population-based cohorts of older adults participating in the 2020 Health, Work and Retirement longitudinal survey ( = 3839, 17.4% informal caregivers).

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The bacterium Serratia marcescens can cause opportunistic infections in humans and in animals. In veterinary settings, the diversity, reservoirs and modes of transmission of this pathogen are poorly understood. The phenotypes and genotypes of Serratia spp.

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Objectives: There is limited information on the role of fatigue on retirement, either independently or in association with poor sleep. The aim of this study was to examine the prospective association between daytime fatigue, measured as feeling tired or feeling worn out, independently and in relation to dissatisfaction with sleep, and subsequent retirement among 960 older workers in New Zealand.

Methods: Data from 2 consecutive surveys (2008 and 2010) of the New Zealand Health, Work, and Retirement Longitudinal Study were used.

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Background And Objectives: Neighborhood environments are an important aspect of well-being for older people. Developments of the general ecological model recognize older people as active agents who adapt their environments to fit their changing needs. We provide empirical support for a model suggested by Wahl et al.

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The equine disease strangles, which is characterized by the formation of abscesses in the lymph nodes of the head and neck, is one of the most frequently diagnosed infectious diseases of horses around the world. The causal agent, subspecies , establishes a persistent infection in approximately 10 % of animals that recover from the acute disease. Such 'carrier' animals appear healthy and are rarely identified during routine veterinary examinations pre-purchase or transit, but can transmit to naïve animals initiating new episodes of disease.

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Climate change and population growth will increase vulnerability to natural and human-made disasters or pandemics. Longitudinal research studies may be adversely impacted by a lack of access to study resources, inability to travel around the urban environment, reluctance of sample members to attend appointments, sample members moving residence and potentially also the destruction of research facilities. One of the key advantages of longitudinal research is the ability to assess associations between exposures and outcomes by limiting the influence of sample selection bias.

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Objective: To assess the characteristics of carers and the caregiving situation associated with return to paid employment among older unemployed carers in New Zealand.

Methods: A baseline sample of 280 unemployed carers was identified from responses by people aged 55-70 to the 2012-2016 biennial waves of the New Zealand Health, Work and Retirement longitudinal survey. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to assess characteristics uniquely predicting employment status at two-year follow-up.

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Objectives: Following the WHO 2015 policy framework, we tested the effects of older people's intrinsic capacity and their perceptions of their neighborhood environments on mental and physical health-related quality of life (QoL) outcomes across two years.

Study Design: Participants (mean age = 66) were drawn from two waves of a longitudinal study of aging (n = 2910) in 2016 and 2018. Regression analyses tested the main and interaction effects of intrinsic capacity and neighborhood factors on health-related QoL at T2 (controlling for T1).

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Objectives: The incidence of multimorbidity (MM) and its correlates among older adults remain poorly understood. This study aimed to examine the socio-demographic and lifestyle factors associated with MM in New Zealand.

Methods: People aged 55-70 years were invited to participate in a population-based cohort study, the Health Work and Retirement Study, in 2006.

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Objective: Aged pension schemes aim to support material and non-material well-being of older populations. The current work aimed to describe dominant trajectories of material living standards in the decades prior to and following eligibility for an aged pension, and describe associated trajectories of physical and mental health.

Methods: Longitudinal data on living standards and indices of health Short Form 12 were collected over 2-12 years follow-up from 4811 New Zealand adults aged 55-76.

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Detection of salmonellae within poultry environments is an important component of many food safety programs, but sampling approaches vary greatly and may not enable the detection of salmonellae when bacteria are present at a low prevalence or concentration. Intensive longitudinal sampling within caged sheds enabled us to undertake a longitudinal analysis of the spatial distribution of salmonellae in caged shed environments. Both the number of samples collected and location of sample collection within a poultry shed were important to ensure the best chance of detecting spp.

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Objectives: the impact of retirement on physical health is an important focus of ageing research; however, research findings vary greatly. To investigate under what conditions retirement might benefit health, we examined physical functioning 8 years pre- and post-retirement.

Methods: using longitudinal data from the New Zealand Health, Work and Retirement Study, multiple linear trajectories of physical functioning were estimated.

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The transmission of Salmonella enterica within a vertically integrated poultry operation was investigated longitudinally over an 18-month period (2013-2014). Thirty six percent of all samples collected (1503 of 4219) were positive for salmonellae with seven Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovars, and one Salmonella enterica subsp.

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Pre-existing longitudinal studies of people affected by disasters provide opportunities to examine the effects of these events on health. Data used in the current investigation were provided by participants in the New Zealand Health, Work and Retirement longitudinal surveys conducted in 2010, 2012 and 2014 (n = 428; aged 50-83), who lived in the Canterbury region of New Zealand during the 2010-2011 earthquakes. Latent profile growth analyses were used to identify groups of respondents who had similar pre-post-disaster physical and mental health profiles.

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Background And Objectives: The WHO "Framework for Policy for Healthy Ageing' (2015) focuses on the broader environment and the support it provides for everyday functioning of older people. The concept of "livability" supports this framework by providing a conceptualization of environments that support good quality of life.

Research Design And Methods: This observational study used an ecological framework of livability to assess cross-sectional relationships between living environments and perceived quality of life among 4,028 respondents, aged 50-89 years who were surveyed in 2016.

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We aimed to examine the relationships of older people's standard of living and perceived quality of housing and neighborhoods, with different physical, mental, and social well-being trajectories over time. Longitudinal data from 2,483 New Zealanders (55-70 years of age in 2006) surveyed biennially for 10 years were analyzed using latent profile growth analysis and MANOVA. Five health trajectories were revealed: , or .

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To compare indicators relating to aging and health among veterans and non-veterans, and identify factors associated with subjective wellbeing (SWB) of older New Zealand veterans. Self-reported data were obtained from participants in a longitudinal cohort study of New Zealand older adults. Responses from 352 veterans and 1500 non-veterans (age range of 55-86 and gender matched) were selected as a comparison group on indicators related to health and aging.

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Purpose: To compare the predictive validity of two self-reported outcome measures, the Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Global Health measure and the 12-item Health Survey (SF-12).

Methods: Data were obtained from 1286 persons (55% female) aged 61-77 responding to a longitudinal survey. Inter-correlations of the SF-12 and PROMIS physical and mental summary scores were examined.

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Purpose: There is support for the role of Internet use in promoting well-being among older people. However, there are also contradictory findings which may be attributed to methodological issues. First, research has focused on frequency of online activity rather than how engagement in different types of online activities may influence well-being.

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