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

Adenovirus infection in bearded dragons - May 2019

Adenoviral hepatitis is a common cause of neonatal and juvenile mortality in bearded dragons (Pogona spp.) in the USA. Adenovirus has been reported in captive and free-living  dragons in...
Open

Diseases of concern in wild Australian crocodiles - Oct 2019

Australia has two species of crocodile: the freshwater crocodile (Crocodylus johnstoni) and theestuarine or saltwater crocodile (C. porosus). Australian crocodile farming is a multi-million dollar...
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Diseases of concern in wild Australian marine turtles - Mar 2023

Significant diseases that have been reported in wild Australian marine turtles include: coccidiosis, (see also WHA fact sheet “Disseminated coccidiosis in green turtles”),...
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Disseminated coccidiosis in green turtles - Mar 2024

Coccidiosis in green turtles (Chelonia mydas) is a neurological and gastrointestinal disease caused by coccidian parasites morphologically similar to Caryospora cheloniae. Outbreaks in Australian...
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Mycobacterial disease in wild Australian native reptiles - Aug 2013

Mycobacterial disease (mycobacteriosis) is a serious disease across many animal species and has been described in the scientific literature since the 1880s. Mycobacterial infections have been...
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Nidoviral respiratory disease in Australian lizards - Mar 2023

A respiratory disease syndrome has been anecdotally reported in wild and captive shingleback lizards (Tiliqua rugosa) in Western Australia (WA) since the late 1990s. The syndrome was colloquially...
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Nidovirus in freshwater turtles - Jun 2024

Bellinger River virus was discovered following a large mortality event in 2015 in wild freshwater Bellinger River snapping turtles (Myuchelys georgesi). A subsequent outbreak of the virus...
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Pathogenic skin fungi in Australian reptiles - Sept 2024

Fungi from the genera Nannizziopsis, Paranannizziopsis and Ophidiomyces are the cause of skin diseases that may progress to systemic and sometimes fatal disease in a range of reptile species....
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Pentastomiasis in Australian reptiles - Jan 2019

Pentastomiasis (also known as Porocephalosis) is a disease caused by infection with pentastomids.Pentastomids are endoparasites of vertebrates, maturing primarily in the respiratory system of...
Open

Ranaviruses in wild reptiles in Australia - Feb 2020

Ranaviruses have been associated with disease outbreaks causing significant mortality and morbidity in wild amphibians, reptiles, and cultivated and wild fish. Systemic infection caused by a...
Open
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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.