Septicaemia due to hypervirulent HV Klebsiella pneumoniae is the leading cause of neonatal pup mortality in endangered New Zealand sea lions Phocarctos hookeri at Enderby Island, in the New Zealand sub-Antarctic.
To facilitate efficient direct mitigation to reduce pup mortality, a case-control study and prospective cohort study were conducted to identify risk factors amenable to active management. Additionally, to investigate impacts of hookworm Uncinaria spp. During two austral summer field seasons — , pups were captured for treatment trial recruitment and the collection of morphometric measurements, biological samples and risk factor data.
Gastrointestinal carriage of the virulent phenotype of K. Significantly fewer ivermectin-treated pups were found dead This study provides evidence to support ivermectin treatment as a pup mortality mitigation strategy in New Zealand sea lions at Enderby Island.
If applied to larger colonies where HV K. Further work is required to understand how ivermectin prevents HV K. Emerging infectious diseases impact animal and ecosystem health globally Daszak et al. This emerging pathogen, a virulent form of an otherwise common mucosal commensal of most mammals, also causes human disease and mortality reviewed by Paczosa and Mecsas, ; Russo and Marr, Infection was first discovered on Enderby Island during an epizootic event in —02, continuing as enzootic disease ever since Wilkinson et al.
However, HV K. Hypervirulent K. Understanding risk factors for HV K. Figure 1. Summary of methodology used in data collection for analysis of risk factors for mortality in New Zealand NZ sea lion Phocarctos hookeri pups. C Uniquely numbered vinyl circular discs glued to NZ sea lion pups. White discs signify cohort study animals, while all other animals were deployed with yellow discs.
