Fact Sheets

Wildlife Health Australia’s Fact Sheets contain brief, factual information on a wide range of diseases, both infectious and non-infectious, that impact Australian wildlife and feral animals. Information focuses on implications of disease for free-ranging native wildlife, although impacts on humans, domestic and feral animals are included to provide a One Health perspective. Diseases of relevance to Australian wildlife that are exotic to Australia, or zoonotic (transmitted from an animal to a human) are also included. There are also several Fact Sheets on topics of general interest to wildlife health.

Wildlife Health Australia welcomes your feedback on Fact Sheets. Please email admin@wildlifehealthaustralia.com.au. We would also like to hear from you if you have a particular area of expertise and are interested in creating or updating a WHA Fact Sheet. A small amount of funding is available to facilitate this.

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All

Angiostrongylus and Australian wildlife - Nov 2019

Angiostrongylus cantonensis, the rat lungworm, occurs in introduced rats and can cause neurological disease in mammalian and bird hosts. It is a zoonosis. Marsupials and flying-foxes are highly...
Open

Arboviruses associated with Australian wildlife - May 2024

At least 75 arboviruses have been reported in Australia, most of them transmitted by the bites of mosquitoes and 13 arboviruses are considered zoonotic (a disease transmitted from animals to...
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Avian bornavirus - Aug 2023

Avian bornaviruses can infect a wide range of parrots, as well as waterbirds, canaries, and other avian species. Infection can result in nervous system and intestinal disease. Disease in...
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Avian influenza in wild birds in Australia - Apr 2024

Avian influenza is a disease of birds caused by influenza virus type A strains. Avian influenza viruses are found worldwide in numerous bird species. Past outbreaks of high pathogenicity...
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Avian paramyxoviruses and Australian wild birds - Nov 2016

Avian paramyxoviruses (APMV), in particular APMV-1, have been associated with highly contagious and infectious viral diseases, affecting all avian species including poultry, cage and wild birds...
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Beak and feather disease virus in Australian birds - Apr 2020

Beak and feather disease virus causes psittacine beak and feather disease, which is endemic in Australia’s wild parrot populations. It has the potential to impact on several endangered...
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Biosecurity concerns associated with feeding wild birds in Australia - Jun 2020

There is significant public interest and enthusiasm for feeding wild birds in Australia. The majority of government agency advice and regulation discourages the public from feeding wild...
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Black and white bird neurological syndrome - Aug 2022

A syndrome of unknown aetiology occurs in “black and white” birds (mainly Australian magpies and pied currawongs) on the east coast of Australia, primarily in the Sydney region. Birds...
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Botulism in Australian wild birds - Jan 2019

Botulism is a paralytic disease caused by ingestion of a toxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. Avian botulism is most frequently seen in ducks, geese, swans, ibis, egrets and...
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Chlamydia in Australian wild birds - May 2017

Chlamydia psittaci causes disease in bird species the world over. It is a significant pathogen in wild birds as well as in commercial poultry flocks and is zoonotic, having the potential to cause...
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Wildlife Health Australia aims to link, inform and support people and organisations who work with or have an interest in wildlife health across Australia through technical advice, facilitation, communications and professional support.