solis norton - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by solis norton
The Australian brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) is a wildlife reservoir of tuberculosis (... more The Australian brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) is a wildlife reservoir of tuberculosis (Mycobacterium bovis) in New Zealand. The disease is endemic over one third of the country. Possum control operations have reduced the prevalence of disease in livestock but have not fully controlled infection in wildlife or geographic spread of the disease. The disease is transmitted to livestock when they investigate the unusual behaviour of terminally ill possums. Reduction of disease incidence in possums through vaccination with bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) has shown promise both in pen trials and field studies. Integration of vaccination into existing control programmes may reduce transmission of tuberculosis among possums, and from possums to livestock. There are two parts to this thesis. Part one is a longitudinal, behavioural study of tuberculous and nontuberculous wild possums. Part two is a description of an aerosol delivery device (aerosol vaccinator) designed to administer ae...
Proceedings of the New Zealand Grassland Association
The agricultural research group on Sustainability (argoS) has been comparing soil quality between... more The agricultural research group on Sustainability (argoS) has been comparing soil quality between conventional, organic and alternative management systems for New Zealand sheep and beef (SB) and dairy (Dy) sectors.
BMC Veterinary Research
Paratuberculosis, a chronic disease affecting ruminant livestock, is caused by Mycobacterium aviu... more Paratuberculosis, a chronic disease affecting ruminant livestock, is caused by Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP). It has direct and indirect economic costs, impacts animal welfare and arouses public health concerns. In a survey of 48 countries we found paratuberculosis to be very common in livestock. In about half the countries more than 20% of herds and flocks were infected with MAP. Most countries had large ruminant populations (millions), several types of farmed ruminants, multiple husbandry systems and tens of thousands of individual farms, creating challenges for disease control. In addition, numerous species of free-living wildlife were infected. Paratuberculosis was notifiable in most countries, but formal control programs were present in only 22 countries. Generally, these were the more highly developed countries with advanced veterinary services. Of the countries without a formal control program for paratuberculosis, 76% were in South and Central America, Asia and Africa while 20% were in Europe. Control programs were justified most commonly on animal health grounds, but protecting market access and public health were other factors. Prevalence reduction was the major objective in most countries, but Norway and Sweden aimed to eradicate the disease, so surveillance and response were their major objectives. Government funding was involved in about two thirds of countries, but operations tended to be funded by farmers and their organizations and not by government alone. The majority of countries (60%) had voluntary control programs. Generally, programs were supported by incentives for joining, financial compensation and/or penalties for non-participation. Performance indicators, structure, leadership, practices and tools used in control programs are also presented. Securing funding for long-term control activities was a widespread problem.
Sustainable Development of Organic Agriculture, 2017
The Agricultural Research Group on Sustainability (ARGOS) has undertaken a longitudinal study of ... more The Agricultural Research Group on Sustainability (ARGOS) has undertaken a longitudinal study of primary agricultural production in New Zealand to improve economic, environmental, social and ecological performance of its farms and orchards. As part of these objectives we report on a six year investigation of soil quality between Conventional, Organic and alternative management systems for three production sectors; Sheep and Beef (SB), Dairy (DY) and Kiwifruit (KF). The relative intensity of each sector was ranked according to energy use per unit land area and was the basis of a hypothesis to test whether differences in soil quality increase between management systems with increasing sector intensity. For each sector, ARGOS established twelve clusters of farms with each cluster consisting of a farm or orchard from each management system matched as well as possible in terms of size, climate, topography and soil type. Properties of one management system constituted a panel. A range of ...
Sustainable Agriculture Research, 2015
Our review concludes that organic standards need to account for a broader set of criteria in orde... more Our review concludes that organic standards need to account for a broader set of criteria in order to retain claims to 'sustainability'. Measurements of the ecological, economic and social outcomes from over 96 kiwifruit, sheep/beef and dairy farms in New Zealand between 2004 and 2012 by The Agricultural Research Group on Sustainability (ARGOS) project showed some enhanced ecosystem services from organic agriculture that will assist a "land-sharing" approach for sustainable land management. However, the efficiency of provisioning services is reduced in organic systems and this potentially undermines a "land-sparing" strategy to secure food security and ecosystem services. Other aspects of the farm operation that are not considered in the organic standards sometimes had just as much or even a greater effect on ecosystem services than restriction of chemical inputs and synthetic fertilisers. An organic farming version of the New Zealand Sustainability Dashboard will integrate organic standards and wider agricultural best practice into a broad and multidimensional sustainability assessment framework and package of learning tools. There is huge variation in performance of farms within a given farming system. Therefore improving ecosystem services depends as much on locally tuned learning and adjustments of farm practice on individual farms as on uptake of organic or Integrated Management farming system protocols.
Australian Veterinary Journal, 1999
Objective To investigate the development of immune responses in calves experimentally and natural... more Objective To investigate the development of immune responses in calves experimentally and naturally infected with Mycobacterium paratuberculosis and to evaluate the potential for diagnostic tests to detect infected calves. Design Sequential testing of four treatment groups of calves over a 2 year period. Procedure Twenty-nine calves were allocated to four groups. Group D calves were orally dosed with M paratuberculosis, group N calves naturally exposed to M paratuberculosis, group V calves vaccinated for M paratuberculosis, and group C were control calves (not infected or vaccinated). Blood and faecal specimens were collected from each calf at monthly intervals to 18 months of age and then every 2 months until they were slaughtered between the ages of 21 and 29 months. Specimens were tested using absorbed EIA, IFN-γ EIA and faecal culture. The infection status of the calves was confirmed by extensive histopathological examination and tissue culture. Results M paratuberculosis infection was confirmed in 10 calves, comprising six of eight orally dosed calves, three of five naturally exposed calves and one of nine vaccinated calves. The six artificially infected calves and one naturally infected calf were detected shedding M paratuberculosis in their faeces. Results with positive absorbed EIA were obtained from one artificially infected calf, one naturally infected calf and three vaccinated calves. All calves including controls had positive results on at least one occasion using the IFN-γ EIA. In addition, seven calves had positive bovine tuberculosis results using the IFN-γ EIA, even though bovine tuberculosis has been eradicated from Australia. Conclusion Detection of M paratuberculosis infection in young cattle continues to be difficult using current tests.
The Australian brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) is a wildlife reservoir of tuberculosis (... more The Australian brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) is a wildlife reservoir of tuberculosis (Mycobacterium bovis) in New Zealand. The disease is endemic over one third of the country. Possum control operations have reduced the prevalence of disease in livestock but have not fully controlled infection in wildlife or geographic spread of the disease. The disease is transmitted to livestock when they investigate the unusual behaviour of terminally ill possums. Reduction of disease incidence in possums through vaccination with bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) has shown promise both in pen trials and field studies. Integration of vaccination into existing control programmes may reduce transmission of tuberculosis among possums, and from possums to livestock. There are two parts to this thesis. Part one is a longitudinal, behavioural study of tuberculous and nontuberculous wild possums. Part two is a description of an aerosol delivery device (aerosol vaccinator) designed to administer ae...
Proceedings of the New Zealand Grassland Association
The agricultural research group on Sustainability (argoS) has been comparing soil quality between... more The agricultural research group on Sustainability (argoS) has been comparing soil quality between conventional, organic and alternative management systems for New Zealand sheep and beef (SB) and dairy (Dy) sectors.
BMC Veterinary Research
Paratuberculosis, a chronic disease affecting ruminant livestock, is caused by Mycobacterium aviu... more Paratuberculosis, a chronic disease affecting ruminant livestock, is caused by Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP). It has direct and indirect economic costs, impacts animal welfare and arouses public health concerns. In a survey of 48 countries we found paratuberculosis to be very common in livestock. In about half the countries more than 20% of herds and flocks were infected with MAP. Most countries had large ruminant populations (millions), several types of farmed ruminants, multiple husbandry systems and tens of thousands of individual farms, creating challenges for disease control. In addition, numerous species of free-living wildlife were infected. Paratuberculosis was notifiable in most countries, but formal control programs were present in only 22 countries. Generally, these were the more highly developed countries with advanced veterinary services. Of the countries without a formal control program for paratuberculosis, 76% were in South and Central America, Asia and Africa while 20% were in Europe. Control programs were justified most commonly on animal health grounds, but protecting market access and public health were other factors. Prevalence reduction was the major objective in most countries, but Norway and Sweden aimed to eradicate the disease, so surveillance and response were their major objectives. Government funding was involved in about two thirds of countries, but operations tended to be funded by farmers and their organizations and not by government alone. The majority of countries (60%) had voluntary control programs. Generally, programs were supported by incentives for joining, financial compensation and/or penalties for non-participation. Performance indicators, structure, leadership, practices and tools used in control programs are also presented. Securing funding for long-term control activities was a widespread problem.
Sustainable Development of Organic Agriculture, 2017
The Agricultural Research Group on Sustainability (ARGOS) has undertaken a longitudinal study of ... more The Agricultural Research Group on Sustainability (ARGOS) has undertaken a longitudinal study of primary agricultural production in New Zealand to improve economic, environmental, social and ecological performance of its farms and orchards. As part of these objectives we report on a six year investigation of soil quality between Conventional, Organic and alternative management systems for three production sectors; Sheep and Beef (SB), Dairy (DY) and Kiwifruit (KF). The relative intensity of each sector was ranked according to energy use per unit land area and was the basis of a hypothesis to test whether differences in soil quality increase between management systems with increasing sector intensity. For each sector, ARGOS established twelve clusters of farms with each cluster consisting of a farm or orchard from each management system matched as well as possible in terms of size, climate, topography and soil type. Properties of one management system constituted a panel. A range of ...
Sustainable Agriculture Research, 2015
Our review concludes that organic standards need to account for a broader set of criteria in orde... more Our review concludes that organic standards need to account for a broader set of criteria in order to retain claims to 'sustainability'. Measurements of the ecological, economic and social outcomes from over 96 kiwifruit, sheep/beef and dairy farms in New Zealand between 2004 and 2012 by The Agricultural Research Group on Sustainability (ARGOS) project showed some enhanced ecosystem services from organic agriculture that will assist a "land-sharing" approach for sustainable land management. However, the efficiency of provisioning services is reduced in organic systems and this potentially undermines a "land-sparing" strategy to secure food security and ecosystem services. Other aspects of the farm operation that are not considered in the organic standards sometimes had just as much or even a greater effect on ecosystem services than restriction of chemical inputs and synthetic fertilisers. An organic farming version of the New Zealand Sustainability Dashboard will integrate organic standards and wider agricultural best practice into a broad and multidimensional sustainability assessment framework and package of learning tools. There is huge variation in performance of farms within a given farming system. Therefore improving ecosystem services depends as much on locally tuned learning and adjustments of farm practice on individual farms as on uptake of organic or Integrated Management farming system protocols.
Australian Veterinary Journal, 1999
Objective To investigate the development of immune responses in calves experimentally and natural... more Objective To investigate the development of immune responses in calves experimentally and naturally infected with Mycobacterium paratuberculosis and to evaluate the potential for diagnostic tests to detect infected calves. Design Sequential testing of four treatment groups of calves over a 2 year period. Procedure Twenty-nine calves were allocated to four groups. Group D calves were orally dosed with M paratuberculosis, group N calves naturally exposed to M paratuberculosis, group V calves vaccinated for M paratuberculosis, and group C were control calves (not infected or vaccinated). Blood and faecal specimens were collected from each calf at monthly intervals to 18 months of age and then every 2 months until they were slaughtered between the ages of 21 and 29 months. Specimens were tested using absorbed EIA, IFN-γ EIA and faecal culture. The infection status of the calves was confirmed by extensive histopathological examination and tissue culture. Results M paratuberculosis infection was confirmed in 10 calves, comprising six of eight orally dosed calves, three of five naturally exposed calves and one of nine vaccinated calves. The six artificially infected calves and one naturally infected calf were detected shedding M paratuberculosis in their faeces. Results with positive absorbed EIA were obtained from one artificially infected calf, one naturally infected calf and three vaccinated calves. All calves including controls had positive results on at least one occasion using the IFN-γ EIA. In addition, seven calves had positive bovine tuberculosis results using the IFN-γ EIA, even though bovine tuberculosis has been eradicated from Australia. Conclusion Detection of M paratuberculosis infection in young cattle continues to be difficult using current tests.