NZ Horses Given All-Clear After EI-Scare

MAF Biosecurity New Zealand announced "a 2nd round of testing has confirmed that 10 horses in the Karaka quarantine facility are free from equine influenza". MAFBNZ revealed on Friday that samples taken from horses imported directly from the US to the Karaka quarantine facility would be retested for equine influenza due to conflicting results: the horses had tested negative prior to export in the US but positive in NZ. MAFBNZ's Animals Imports Team manager Dr Rachelle Linwood confirmed: "We have completed a 2nd round of tests & retested the original samples & are now certain the initial positive result was due to contamination in the laboratory. While we are very pleased that all samples have now tested negative, it is disappointing that cross-contamination occurred." An investigation is underway "to ascertain how the tests became contaminated & initial findings are expected by the end of the week"; findings from that investigation "will be used to identify ways to reduce the likelihood of cross-contamination occurring in the future".