Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand abstracts

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Diseases and pathogens of Mustela spp., with special reference to the biological control of introduced stoat Mustela erminea populations in New Zealand

Robbie A. McDonald^*, Serge Larivière⁺

^*School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1UG, UK.

Present address: Game Conservancy Trust, The Gillet, Forest-in-Teesdale, Barnard Castle, DL12 OHA, UK. email: robbie.mcdonald@stoats.com

⁺Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, 112 Science Place, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5E2, Canada.

Present address: Delta Waterfowl Foundation, R.R. #1, Box 1, Portage La Prairie, Manitoba R1N 3A1, Canada. email: slariviere@deltawaterfowl.org

Controlling populations of introduced stoats is a high priority for the conservation of avian biodiversity in New Zealand. Existing technology for stoat control is labour intensive and expensive, therefore new techniques and approaches, such as biological control, are needed. We reviewed the literature on the diseases and pathogens of stoats, and closely related mustelids, with a view to identifying potential biological control agents. Aleutian disease virus, mink enteritis virus, and canine distemper virus hold promise as agents of lethal control, though the risks to non-target species posed by these viruses are serious. Host-specific ectoparasites such as Trichodectes ermineae, nematodes such as Skrjabingylus nasicola, and bacteria such as Helicobacter mustelae and Bartonella spp. could have a role as vectors for the transmission of fertility control agents. We urge some caution in developing biological control technology without a parallel investigation of the potential effects of biological control on stoat populations and the resulting survival of threatened birds.

Keywords  biocontrol; conservation; ferret; mink; Mustelidae; pest management; predator control; wildlife disease

(c) Journal of The Royal Society of New Zealand,

Volume 31, Number 4, December 2001, pp 721-744

PDF file of entire paper: medium quality (1912K); (scanned from paper original: notes about this process)

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