Ticks (Arachnida: Acari) are vectors for pathogens and the biggest threat to animal health. Many Australian ticks are associated with pathogens that impact humans, domestic animals and livestock. However, little is known about the presence or impact of tick-borne pathogens in native Australian wildlife. Wombats are particularly susceptible to the effects of the ectoparasite Sarcoptes scabiei which causes sarcoptic mange, the reason for which is unknown. Factors such as other ectoparasites and their associated pathogens may play a role. A critical understanding of the species of ectoparasites that parasitise wombats and their pathogens, and particularly ticks, is therefore warranted. This review describes the ectoparasites of wombats, pathogens known to be associated with those ectoparasites, and related literature gaps. Pathogens have been isolated in most tick species that typically feed on wombats; however, there are minimal molecular studies to determine the presence of pathogens in any other wombat ectoparasites. The development of next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies allows us to explore entire microbial communities in ectoparasite samples, allowing fast and accurate identification of potential pathogens in many samples at once. These new techniques have highlighted the diversity and uniqueness of native ticks and their microbiomes, including pathogens of potential medical and veterinary importance. An increased understanding of all ectoparasites that parasitise wombats, and their associated pathogens, requires further investigation.

The Sustainability Research Centre at the University of the Sunshine Coast has prepared this report for the Climate Change Adaptation for Natural Resource Management in East Coast Australia project funded through the Commonwealth Government's Natural Resource Management Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation Research Grants Program. The report outlines an approach to assess socioeconomic vulnerability to the impacts of climate change in the East Coast Cluster of natural resource management regions (NRMRs) in Australia. The initial results of this assessment are presented in six brochures, which should be read in conjunction with this report. 1. Fitzroy Natural Resource Management Region: Grazing Sector 2. Burnett-Mary Natural Resource Management Region: Horticultural Sector 3. South East Queensland Natural Resource Management Region: Horticultural Sector 4. Northern Rivers Natural Resource Management Region: Grazing Sector 5. Hunter-Central Rivers Resource Management Region: Graz...

There is currently limited information regarding the levels of infection and distribution of sarcoptic mange in the wombat population throughout Australia. We analyzed cases of sarcoptic mange in bare-nosed wombats reported into WomSAT, a website and mobile phone application where citizen scientists can upload sightings of wombats, burrows, and sarcoptic mange status. We used Maxent software to predict locations and the environmental factors associated with sarcoptic mange occurrence in bare-nosed wombats. A total of 1379 sarcoptic mange-infected and 3043 non-sarcoptic mange-infected wombats were reported by 674 and 841 citizen scientists, respectively. Of all the wombats reported to WomSAT from 2015 to 2019, 31.2% were infected with sarcoptic mange. Sarcoptic mange in bare-nosed wombats was reported in 502 suburbs across four states. New South Wales had the highest number of sarcoptic mange cases reported to WomSAT. There was no statistically significant seasonal variation of sarcoptic mange levels in bare-nosed wombats. The model showed that Euclidean distance to urban areas was the highest contributing factor for sarcoptic mange occurrence. As distance to urban areas decreased, the suitability for sarcoptic mange increased. Annual precipitation was the next contributing factor in the model, with higher rainfall of 400-700 mm correlating to an increase in sarcoptic mange occurrence. As the data collected to date have provided the largest-scale contemporary distribution of sarcoptic mange in wombats, data should continue to be collected by citizen scientists as it is an easy and low-cost method of collecting data over large areas. We suggest targeting the identified hotspot areas and more site-specific studies for studying and mitigating sarcoptic mange in bare-nosed wombats.

In Australia, nematodes belonging to the genus Eustrongylides were believed to be endemic species until the late 20th century when they were all considered to be E. excisus, invalid or inquirendae. Although these nematodes have frequently been reported in Australian fish, reptiles, and birds and cause disease or mortality among them, there has been no attempt to date to characterise them genetically. Globally, also, no one has validated or defined suitable genetic markers to distinguish between species of Eustrongylides. In this study, adult Eustrongylides from little black cormorant (Phalacrocorax sulcirostris; n = 3) and larvae from mountain galaxias (Galaxias olidus, n = 2) and a Murray cod (Maccullochella peelii, n = 1), and a Murray cod-trout cod hybrids (Maccullochella peelii x Maccullochella macquariensis, n = 1) were available for morphological examination and molecular characterisation. The adult nematodes from cormorants were iden- tified as E. excisus. Sequences of the 18S and ITS regions were then obtained for all nematodes, which were identical among all specimens (larvae and adults) and also identical to those of E. excisus available in the GenBank. However, only one base pair difference exists between the 18S sequences of E. excisus and E. ignotus, with limited sequences available in GenBank accom- panied with proper morphological data for the nematodes. With that limitation in mind, identi- fying our specimens as E. excisus suggests spill-over – that it is an introduced parasite species that has successfully established its life cycle among Australian native species – may have occurred. Our study is the first report of E. excisus in the little black cormorant, P. sulcirostris. Our results do not exclude the possibility of the occurrence of other species of Eustrongylides, either native or exotic, in Australia. This parasite is zoonotic and with increasing demand for fish and changing dietary preferences, such as the consumption of raw or undercooked fish, its occurrence in the flesh of the fish is concerning. This parasite is also associated with anthropogenic habitat alter- ation affecting the reproductive success of the infected hosts. Therefore, awareness among the relevant authorities of the presence of the parasite in Australia and its adverse impact on native animals is crucial for the success of conservation plans such as fish recovery and relocation efforts

Much of the literature on wombat diet is concerned only with the broad categories of consumed matter, and there is little about their specific nutritional requirements despite diet playing a major role in health. This study gathered information by surveying zoological parks and wildlife carers about current feeding regime, diet and the prevalence of nutritional or dental disorders of wombats held in captivity, with the aim of improving the diets of captive wombats, thus their health and welfare outcomes. Data on the composition, variation and basis of diets for 31 bare-nosed or common wombats (Vombatus ursinus) and 19 southern hairy-nosed wombats (Lasiorhinus latifrons) were gathered from 13 facilities. The nutritional values of diets fed to wombats in captivity were calculated and compared with known dietary requirements for bare-nosed wombats. Results demonstrate that the current diet of wombats held in captivity often consists of a high portion of fruits, vegetables and livestock feed, with the fruit and vegetable portions providing higher levels of simple carbohydrates and starch compared with natural grass diets. Generally, the facilities are providing diets that are exceeding reported maintenance energy and nitrogen requirements. Due to a lack of details provided regarding quantity and species of grasses fed, we could not provide an accurate ration calculation for the proportion of grasses in the diets. Some of the health concerns noted included insufficient weight gain, endoparasites, malocclusion and insufficient tooth wear. Further research is required to assess the requirements of reproductive, lactating and juvenile wombats; however, it is clear that wombats in captivity need to be fed larger volumes and varieties of grasses, forbs and sedges than they are currently being fed to maintain good health.

Specimens of the pentastomid parasite, Linguatula serrata, have been reported from several animals in Romania, including some domestic dogs translocated to other parts of Europe. In this study, gray wolves (Canis lupus, n = 80), golden jackals (C. aureus, n = 115), red foxes (Vulpes vulpes, n = 236), and roe deer (Capreolus capreolus, n = 1) were examined for pentastomes. Overall, 17.5% of wolves were found to be infected with specimens of Linguatula, with a range of infections of one to five individuals per animal. Golden jackals and foxes had much lower infection levels, with 1.73% of golden jackals and 1.69% of foxes infected; both host species were found to be infected with one or two individual pentastomes per animal. The single deer specimen was infected with three individual pentastomes. The pentastomes collected from the wolves and golden jackals were determined to be immature and mature adult specimens of L. serrata based on morphological examination and molecular analysis ...