Mycobacterium bovis infection in New Zealand hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus)

Seventy-nine wild hedgehogs from the Wairarapa, an area of New Zealand in which bovine tuberculosis is endemic, were examined for lesions suggestive of tuberculosis. Sixteen animals with suspicious lesions had samples submitted for culture. Mycobacterium bovis was recovered from four animals with gross pulmonary lesions. The gross and histopathological appearance of the lesions are described and the significance discussed in the light of previously reported experimental and captive animal infections. It is likely that infection arose from the scavenging behaviour of hedgehogs. The moderate prevalence (5%) of tuberculosis in these animals combined with their small home ranges may allow them to be used in wildlife surveys to pinpoint the locality in which tuberculous possums have died.