Unwelcome immigrants

Press, 19 June 1979, Page 27

Unwelcome immigrants

Wellington reporter Disease-carrying ticks, timber-boring beetles, and citrus canker-causing bacteria are among unwelcome immigrants identified by Ministry’ of Agriculture officials in recent weeks. All three interceptions were regarded as significant by the Ministry’s Assistant Director of Plant Health (Mr G. Morrison) and emphasised the need for constant vigilance at points of entry. People should bear in mind the possibility that accidentally they might admit highly undesirable pests into New Zealand in their baggage, in the mail, and in imported goods, Mr Morrison said. Tens of thousands of dollars had been spent in

the last few years eradicating citrus canker from New Zealand. The cankerdiscoloured leaves disfigured fruit, and could affect export opportunities adversely. The disease could become re-estab-lished if infected fruit or foliage were permitted in. The recent discovery of canker-causing bacteria had been on citrus leaves taken from private baggage that had come from Singapore. More serious from a human health viewpoint were three interceptions recently of the brown dog tick, sometimes known as the “cosmopolitan kennel tick.” These ticks were the main carriers of two diseases which resembled typhus, Mr Morrison said. They were found only

occasionally on humans; but when they were, it could be quite serious — even fatal. The diseases commonly attacked dogs and rodents which were hosts to the tick, and bites from infected ticks could spread the diseases.

The ticks had been found in a parcel of goods for the owner’s animals posted from North America, in baggage from Malaysia, and in a crate of personal effects from Hong Kong.

The tick was not known to exist in New Zealand. Its capacity to survive in this country was uncertain, but it might be able to live in the northern part of Northland. Pupae of the ship-timber beetle had been found at Auckland in dunnage from West Germany.