ENVIRONMENTAL FACTOR INVESTIGATION OF EXUDATIVE CLOACITIS IN KĀKĀPŌ (STRIGOPS HABROPTILUS) ON WHENUA HOU (CODFISH ISLAND), NEW ZEALAND.

Kākāpō (Strigops habroptilus) are critically endangered nocturnal parrots endemic to New Zealand. Exudative cloacitis is a disease only affecting the breeding population of Kākāpō on Whenua Hou (Codfish Island), for which a consistent primary pathogenic organism involved has not been identified. This epidemiological study was conducted to identify the environmental factors contributing to the initiation of this disease in Kākāpō by 1) producing and describing a case series; 2) mapping the geographic distribution of exudative cloacitis cases; 3) investigating the chemical characteristics of Kākāpō roosting sites; and 4) assessing the effects of climatic factors on the incidence of exudative cloacitis each year. Soil samples from the Kākāpō roost sites and other areas of the Whenua Hou were examined for pH, ammonium, and moisture contents. From 2002 to 2017, 22 sporadic cases of exudative cloacitis have been diagnosed and the disease distribution on Whenua Hou overlaps the Kākāpō distribution. A mixed group of adults and juveniles was affected and there was no evidence of spatial or temporal clustering of the disease. Current findings on the chemical characteristics of Kākāpō roosting sites do not show any evidence that these factors are involved in the initiation of the exudative cloacitis. Nevertheless, the results suggest that the ammonium and moisture levels of the roosts are worthy of more detailed study in future cases. We were not able to demonstrate any significant influence of broad measures of climate on the incidence of exudative cloacitis on Whenua Hou. Prospective data collection would help for a complete epidemiological investigation of this disease in future cases.

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