My first published research looked at bovine tubeculosis in cattle and widlife in New Zealand. Take a look at it here.

We used whole genome sequencing to trace the transmission of Mycobacterium bovis, a bacteria that causes bovine tuberculosis, between cattle and wildlife.

In New Zealand, the brushtail possum (see my impression below 😳) is a pest species - originally imported for the fur industry. There are 30 million possums in New Zealand and they can be infected by the M. bovis bacteria. Their infection can spread into cattle, especially where cattle live close to the bush (dense forested areas), where possums live.

Our research showed that the M. bovis bacteria was frequently being transmitted between cattle and wildlife populations in New Zealand. Given that there were less than 50 infected cattle herds in New Zealand at the time, this suggested that the possum population were acting as the main source of infection.

For me, this research was an amazing opportunity to work some incredible researchers in New Zealand - as well as meet them in person! Marian Price-Carter led this research project and continues to amazing work in the bovine tuberculosis program in New Zealand.

Have a look at the research here and let me know what you think.