University of Otago

Dietary niche partitioning and seasonal variation between rat species on an oceanic island

On oceanic islands, invasive rats represent a significant threat to native species, especially seabirds. However, we do not yet fully understand the ecological impacts of rats or how their dietary niches are affected when more than one rat species is present. Our aim was to exami...

Divergent coronaviruses discovered in the virome of lamprey with reddening syndrome

ABSTRACT Lamprey reddening syndrome (LRS) is an emerging disease affecting pouched lamprey ( Geotria australis ; kanakana/piharau), a culturally and ecologically significant species in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Characterized by skin hemorrhaging and elevated mortality, the etiology...

Microfoundations of accountability when transparency is constrained: moral and relational practices in Tonga's public sector

Purpose This study examines how accountability is enacted in everyday financial practice in Tonga's public sector by analysing the microfoundations through which public servants interpret, negotiate, and resolve accountability demands. It addresses an unresolved theoretical puzzl...

Identification and characterization of ethR and ethA genes impacting the sensitivity of Mycobacterium abscessus to ethionamide

ABSTRACT Mycobacterium abscessus is a rapidly growing non-tuberculous mycobacterium with rising global incidence. This pathogen exhibits intrinsic resistance to most antibiotics, presenting a major public health threat. Ethionamide (ETH) requires bioactivation by monooxygenase Et...

Awareness and use of oral tobacco and nicotine products among people who smoke or recently stopped smoking: Descriptive findings from the 2024 EASE/ITC New Zealand Survey

ABSTRACT Introduction Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ) disallows sales of oral tobacco and nicotine products, although importation for personal use is permitted. The government proposes legalising sales, claiming this will aid smoking cessation among “older, long-term smokers.” We exami...

How Norms Depend on the Presence and Status of Observers: The Relational Contingency of Everyday Behaviors in 90 Societies

Norms are fundamental to social life, but basic questions about how they are affected by social context remain. Specifically, how do normative constraints depend on the presence and status of observers, and how do such relational contingencies vary across cultures? Using data fro...

The Trout Paradox: Scenarios for Managing Introduced Salmonids in New Zealand

Introduced salmonids such as trout and salmon occupy a paradoxical position in New Zealand; celebrated as iconic sport fish yet condemned as invasive species that threaten native freshwater biodiversity. Motivated by an economic impact study of recreational fishing on Te Manahuna...

Engineering antigenic breadth against SARS-CoV-2 by pairing divergent RBDs within a single mRNA immunogen

Abstract Vaccines capable of eliciting broadly neutralising antibodies (bnAbs) are a major goal for pandemic preparedness. A persistent challenge across vaccine Wields is how to deliberately recruit the rare B cell clones that recognise conserved epitopes shared across diverse vi...

‘No, it is a virus, your body will fight it.’ The value of diagnostic testing for managing respiratory viruses in primary care: an observational study from a post-COVID pilot programme

Introduction International studies suggest that advancing diagnostic technologies have the potential to reduce uncertainty and improve management of acute respiratory infections. Aim This study aimed to observe the impact that laboratory-based polymerase chain reaction testing fo...

Genomic indicators of gene function: a systematic assessment of the human genome

Abstract Proteins and non-coding RNAs are functional products of the genome that are central for crucial cellular processes. With recent technological advances, researchers can sequence genomes in the thousands and probe numerous genomic activities of many species and conditions....

Correlation of polygenic risk score and clinical phenotype in patients with genetic generalized epilepsy

Abstract Objective The polygenic risk score (PRS) for individuals with genetic generalized epilepsy (GGE) quantifies the common risk variants in genes identified in genome‐wide association studies. We hypothesized that the phenotype of GGE patients differs based on their GGE PRS....

The global cardiovascular-kidney-liver-metabolic burden from 1990 to 2023

Background The cardiovascular-kidney-liver-metabolic (CKLM) framework represents the multi-organ interplay of systemic metabolic disorders that drive the global burden of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Methods This study is a descriptive epidemiological analysis of the Global Bur...

Establishing a Probabilistic Indigenous Survey Panel to Measure Māori Health, Wellbeing and Social Attitudes: Te Ao Mārama

Indigenous peoples experience a paradox in official statistics: deficit framing and surveillance through state data systems, alongside an urgent need for evidence to monitor inequities and advocate for policy change. In Aotearoa New Zealand, existing monitoring systems often fail...

Beyond the protocol: navigating ethics and governance in the multicentre implementation trials – the QASC Australasia and T3 Trials

OBJECTIVE: To describe and compare ethics and governance approval timelines for the Quality in Acute Stroke Care (QASC) Australasia Trial (2021-present) and Triage, Treatment, and Transfer of Patients with Stroke in Emergency Departments (T3) Trial (2012-2014), benchmarking again...

The limitations of non-mechanistic methods for characterizing pathogen-pathogen interactions: A simulation study

Abstract Pathogen-pathogen interactions occur when infection with one pathogen influences one’s chance of infection or disease due to another. Increasingly, evidence suggests that interactions are a common feature of infectious disease epidemiology. However, due to both the nonli...

Seeing Inequalities: Self-Reported Visual Difficulty and Eye Care Utilization Among Women in Malawi, a Secondary Analysis of the 2024 Demographic and Health Survey Data

Background: This study aimed to identify the factors associated with self-reported visual difficulty and uptake of spectacle/contact lens correction among women of reproductive age in Malawi. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional secondary analysis of the 2024 Malawi Demographi...

Patterns of Antibiotic Dispensing Among New Zealand Children: A Linkage Study

ABSTRACT Background Overuse of antibiotics contributes to antibiotic resistance, and may result in gut microbiome dysbiosis, potentially increasing the risk of chronic childhood conditions. Objectives To examine patterns of antibiotic dispensing in utero and during the first 5 ye...

Evidence-based recommendations for application of construct-based splicing data in clinical variant classification

<title>Abstract</title> Background: Minigene RT-PCR assays are widely used to assess variant impact on splicing, with increasing reports of massively parallel splicing assays (MPSAs) demonstrating potential to upscale diagnostic use of construct-based data. This study conducted a...

The aftermath of a scrub and tussock fire for diurnal geckos (Naultinus gemmeus) in Aotearoa New Zealand

Context Globally, impacts of wildfire on fauna populations and our knowledge of these impacts, vary considerably. Information regarding wildfire effects on Aotearoa’s terrestrial fauna is meagre but interest in this topic is increasing alongside anthropogenic climate change. Aims...

Supercharged penguins—supplementary feeding reshapes tawaki/Fiordland penguin winter migration

Migration in a species is primarily a response to resource availability, shelter, thermoregulation, predator avoidance, or seasonal environmental change. Tawaki/Fiordland penguins ( Eudyptes pachyrhynchus ) have earned the nickname “marathon penguins” as they migrate 2,500 km fro...