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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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...
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Australian bat lyssavirus - Mar 2019

Australian flying-foxes and insectivorous bats the natural reservoirs for Australian bat lyssavirus, which can infect humans and other mammals. It causes similar signs to rabies and infection...
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Australian marine mammals and Brucella - Mar 2020

Novel species of Brucella have recently emerged as pathogens of marine mammals and as potential zoonoses.

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Avian influenza in wild birds in Australia - Nov 2023

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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Bartonella in Australian wildlife - Sep 2023

Bartonella can cause disease in mammals and humans. Bartonella henselae is carried by cats and fleas and can cause cat scratch fever. Several novel Bartonella species have been...
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Borrelia and Australian wildlife - Dec 2016

Borrelia are known to cause disease (primarily in humans) overseas. This includes Lyme disease, which is considered EXOTIC to Australia. This fact sheet focuses on what is known about tick-borne...
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Brucella suis in feral pigs - Jan 2023

Swine brucellosis occurs in feral pigs in areas of Australia. The infection is easily transmitted from feral pigs to dogs and humans. Disease may be seen in dogs which have been exposed to...
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Buruli ulcer and Australian wildlife - Sep 2023

Mycobacterium ulcerans causes slow-growing, destructive skin ulcers in humans and some Australian mammals. Infection is endemic in certain areas of Vic and Far North Qld, and has been...
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COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2 Virus) - Dec 2022

Coronaviruses are the cause of several recently emerged diseases which cause significant respiratory symptoms in humans, including Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV-1), Middle East...
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EXOTIC - Chikungunya fever - Sep 2015

Chikungunya fever is a viral, mosquito-borne disease of humans. The disease occurs throughout much of the world, with large outbreaks becoming more frequent in many endemic regions and the...
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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.