From the Pathogenic to the Mundane: How Scientific Practices Made <scp> <i>Mycoplasma bovis</i> </scp> in Aotearoa New Zealand

ABSTRACT This paper offers a description of the microbial world‐making of scientific practices and technologies in manifesting the multiple ontologies of Mycoplasma bovis bacteria during the biosecurity response and eradication programme in Aotearoa New Zealand (Aotearoa). We consider that taking a material semiotic approach to exposing scientific world‐making is useful because the way diseases are enacted or ‘made real’ influences the ways that disease impacts are understood. This knowledge in turn informs biosecurity decision‐making. The paper contributes to local biosecurity scholarship by attending to the seemingly mundane practices of scientific actors who are involved with Aotearoa's biosecurity responses.