| keratitis in free-ranging koalas (phascolarctos cinereus) on magnetic island, townsville. | seventy free-ranging koalas (phascolarctos cinereus) from magnetic island (queensland, australia) underwent an ocular examination, blood collection and serological examination for chlamydia psittaci antibodies, and an examination of their teeth and genitalia. in 12 koalas long-standing unilateral keratitis was noted and in another 10 animals long-standing bilateral keratitis was observed. all animals were seronegative for chlamydia psittaci and apart from some nasal discharge and a variety of as ... | 1992 | 1380994 |
| evaluation of an enzyme immunoassay test for the diagnosis of chlamydia psittaci infection in free-ranging koalas (phascolarctos cinereus) in southeastern queensland, australia. | the ideia chlamydia test, a commercially available antigen-capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (elisa) test, based on a monoclonal antibody for the detection of chlamydia in clinical specimens, was evaluated in a population of 65 free-ranging koalas in southeastern queensland determined to be infected with chlamydia psittaci. compared to isolation of the organism in tissue culture, the sensitivity of the ideia test ranged from 3 to 11%, and the specificity from 90 to 97%. the results indic ... | 1988 | 3373632 |
| aspects of the epidemiology of chlamydia psittaci infection in a population of koalas (phascolarctos cinereus) in southeastern queensland, australia. | a population of free-ranging koalas in southeastern queensland was examined to determine the prevalence of chlamydia psittaci infections. although c. psittaci was isolated from 46 of 65 (71%) koalas studied, only six (9%) of these had clinical signs of disease. most adult females (82%) had back or pouch young present even though 67% of them were infected. there were no significant correlations between age, sex or site of sampling (urogenital versus conjunctival tissues) and the isolation of c. p ... | 1988 | 3373633 |
| causes of morbidity and mortality in 75 free-ranging and captive koalas in south east queensland, australia. | | 1987 | 3433649 |
| conservation genetics of the koala (phascolarctos cinereus): low mitochondrial dna variation amongst southern australian populations. | koala (phascolarctos cinereus) populations in southern australia have a history of bottlenecks-earlier this century the species became extinct in south australia, and almost so in victoria. subsequently large numbers of animals from island populations (founded from very few animals) have been translocated back to mainland sites and to other islands in the region. as part of a larger study of the genetic structure of koala populations in southern australia, we have undertaken a survey of mitochon ... | 1997 | 9164173 |
| morphology of the thyroid in coastal and noncoastal populations of the koala (phascolarctos cinereus) in queensland. | the gross morphology, histology, and ultrastructure of the thyroid gland of the koala, phascolarctos cinereus, is described. generally, the glands were found to contain large-diameter follicles in association with an epithelium of low height. morphometric analysis demonstrated a high relative thyroid weight (0.3 +/- 0.2 g/kg) for koalas compared with the 0.07-0.24 g/kg typical of eutherian mammals and 0.03-0.1 g/kg found in other marsupials. the relative thyroid weight of glands (0.33 +/- 0.21 g ... | 1998 | 9593650 |
| a queensland koala kept in a japanese zoological park was carrier of an imported fungal pathogen, filobasidiella neoformans var. bacillispora (cryptococcus neoformans var. gattii). | | 2002 | 11971161 |
| sporobolomyces koalae sp. nov., a basidiomycetous yeast isolated from nasal smears of queensland koalas kept in a japanese zoological park. | three strains (jcm 15063(t), jcm 15098 and jcm 15099) of a novel basidiomycetous yeast species belonging to the genus sporobolomyces were isolated from nasal smears of queensland koalas kept in a japanese zoological park. analyses of sequences of the nuclear rdna internal transcribed spacer region and the 26s rdna d1/d2 domain and morphological studies indicated that these strains represent a novel species with a close phylogenetic relationship to sporobolomyces carnicolor and sporobolomyces jap ... | 2008 | 19060093 |
| characterization of multidrug-resistant escherichia coli isolated from extraintestinal clinical infections in animals. | multidrug-resistant (mdr) escherichia coli causes extraintestinal infections in both humans and animals. this study aimed to determine whether mdr e. coli isolates cultured from extraintestinal infections in several animal species were clonal and crossed host-species boundaries, as suggested by initial characterization of a subset of canine and human isolates, or whether they represented a diverse group of host-specific strains. isolates were obtained either from the university of queensland vet ... | 2010 | 20093377 |
| cryptococcus yokohamensis sp. nov., a basidiomycetous yeast isolated from trees and queensland koala kept in a japanese zoological park. | three strains were isolated from the nostrils of a koala and the surrounding environment in a japanese zoological park. sequence analysis of the nuclear rdna internal transcribed spacer (its) region and the large subunit rrna gene d1/d2 domains in addition to physiological and morphological studies indicated that they represent a single novel species belonging to the basidiomycetous genus cryptococcus (tremellales, tremellomycetes, agaricomycotina). phylogenetic analysis based on d1/d2 and its r ... | 2011 | 21257688 |
| mhc class ii diversity of koala (phascolarctos cinereus) populations across their range. | major histocompatibility complex class ii (mhcii) genes code for proteins that bind and present antigenic peptides and trigger the adaptive immune response. we present a broad geographical study of mhcii da β1 (dab) and db β1 (dbb) variants of the koala (phascolarctos cinereus; n=191) from 12 populations across eastern australia, with a total of 13 dab and 7 dbb variants found. we identified greater mhcii variation and, possibly, additional gene copies in koala populations in the north (queensla ... | 2014 | 24690756 |
| identification of unusual chlamydia pecorum genotypes in victorian koalas (phascolarctos cinereus) and clinical variables associated with infection. | chlamydia pecorum infection is a threat to the health of free-ranging koalas (phascolarctos cinereus) in australia. utilizing an extensive sample archive we determined the prevalence of c. pecorum in koalas within six regions of victoria, australia. the ompa genotypes of the detected c. pecorum were characterized to better understand the epidemiology of this pathogen in victorian koalas. despite many studies in northern australia (i.e. queensland and new south wales), prior chlamydia studies in ... | 2016 | 26932792 |
| the prevalence and clinical significance of chlamydia infection in island and mainland populations of victorian koalas (phascolarctos cinereus). | chlamydia infection is known to impact the health of koalas (phascolarctos cinereus) in new south wales (nsw) and queensland, but the clinical significance of chlamydia infections in victorian koalas is not well described. we examined the prevalence of chlamydia infection and assessed associated health parameters in two victorian koala populations known to be chlamydia positive. the same testing regimen was applied to a third victorian population in which chlamydia had not been detected. we exam ... | 2015 | 25588005 |
| potential animal and environmental sources of q fever infection for humans in queensland. | q fever is a vaccine-preventable disease; despite this, high annual notification numbers are still recorded in australia. we have previously shown seroprevalence in queensland metropolitan regions is approaching that of rural areas. this study investigated the presence of nucleic acid from coxiella burnetii, the agent responsible for q fever, in a number of animal and environmental samples collected throughout queensland, to identify potential sources of human infection. samples were collected f ... | 2014 | 23663407 |
| cryptococcus lacticolor sp. nov. and rhodotorula oligophaga sp. nov., novel yeasts isolated from the nasal smear microbiota of queensland koalas kept in japanese zoological parks. | a total of 515 yeast strains were isolated from the nasal smears of queensland koalas and their breeding environments in japanese zoological parks between 2005 and 2012. the most frequent species in the basidiomycetous yeast biota isolated from koala nasal passages was cryptococcus neoformans, followed by rhodotorula minuta. r. minuta was the most frequent species in the breeding environments, while c. neoformans was rare. seven strains representing two novel yeast species were identified. analy ... | 2013 | 23653119 |
| epidemiology of chlamydial infection and disease in a free-ranging koala (phascolarctos cinereus) population. | chlamydial disease continues to be one of the main factors threatening the long-term survival of the koala (phascolarctos cinereus). despite this, large epidemiological studies of chlamydial infection and disease in wild koala populations are lacking. a better understanding of the prevalence, transmission and pathogenesis is needed to improve control measures, such as the development of vaccines. we investigated the prevalence of chlamydia pecorum infection and disease in 160 koalas in a peri-ur ... | 2017 | 29281731 |
| a survey of pesticide accumulation in a specialist feeder, the koala (phascolarctos cinereus). | to maintain profitability in australia's agricultural and urban landscapes pesticides are used throughout the range of koala habitats. the koala is a specialist feeder, reliant on metabolic enzyme capacities to utilise a toxic diet of eucalypt leaves and is potentially prone to adverse effects when xenobiotic interactions between dietary and anthropogenic xenobiotics occur. the aim of this study was to investigate accumulation of frequently used pesticides in wild koalas in 4 areas of new south ... | 2017 | 28712016 |
| koala retrovirus genotyping analyses reveal a low prevalence of korv-a in victorian koalas and an association with clinical disease. | koala retrovirus (korv) is undergoing endogenization into the genome of koalas in australia, providing an opportunity to assess the effect of retrovirus infection on the health of a population. the prevalence of korv in north-eastern australia (queensland and new south wales) is 100 %, whereas previous preliminary investigations in south-eastern australia (victoria) suggested korv is present at a lower prevalence, although the values have varied widely. here, we describe a large study of free-ra ... | 2017 | 28266284 |
| daylight saving time can decrease the frequency of wildlife-vehicle collisions. | daylight saving time (dst) could reduce collisions with wildlife by changing the timing of commuter traffic relative to the behaviour of nocturnal animals. to test this idea, we tracked wild koalas (phascolarctos cinereus) in southeast queensland, where koalas have declined by 80% in the last 20 years, and compared their movements with traffic patterns along roads where they are often killed. using a simple model, we found that dst could decrease collisions with koalas by 8% on weekdays and 11% ... | 2016 | 27881767 |
| koalas (phascolarctos cinereus) from queensland are genetically distinct from 2 populations in victoria. | the koala (phascolarctos cinereus) suffered population declines and local extirpation due to hunting in the early 20th century, especially in southern australia. koalas were subsequently reintroduced to the brisbane ranges (br) and stony rises (sr) by translocating individuals from a population on french island descended from a small number of founders. to examine genetic diversity and north-south differentiation, we genotyped 13 microsatellite markers in 46 wild koalas from the br and sr, and 2 ... | 2016 | 27515769 |
| the causes and prognoses of different types of fractures in wild koalas submitted to wildlife hospitals. | fractures are a major problem in wild koalas of great veterinary and conservation importance as their occurrence in different locations of the body might result in varying healing success. the aim of this study was to determine the fracture types (defined by location of the fracture) occurring in wild koalas, temporal patterns, possible causes and risk factors of fracture types, and the prognosis for successfully releasing kolas with healed fracture types into the wild. data from a total of 2031 ... | 2015 | 26603047 |
| sequence variation of koala retrovirus transmembrane protein p15e among koalas from different geographic regions. | the koala retrovirus (korv), which is transitioning from an exogenous to an endogenous form, has been associated with high mortality in koalas. for other retroviruses, the envelope protein p15e has been considered a candidate for vaccine development. we therefore examined proviral sequence variation of korv p15e in a captive queensland and three wild southern australian koalas. we generated 163 sequences with intact open reading frames, which grouped into 39 distinct haplotypes. sixteen distinct ... | 2015 | 25462343 |
| proliferation of endogenous retroviruses in the early stages of a host germ line invasion. | endogenous retroviruses (ervs) comprise 8% of the human genome and are common in all vertebrate genomes. the only retrovirus known to be currently transitioning from exogenous to endogenous form is the koala retrovirus (korv), making koalas (phascolarctos cinereus) ideal for examining the early stages of retroviral endogenization. to distinguish endogenous from exogenous korv proviruses, we isolated koala genomic regions flanking korv integration sites. in three wild southern australian koalas, ... | 2015 | 25261407 |
| a 5-year chlamydia vaccination programme could reverse disease-related koala population decline: predictions from a mathematical model using field data. | many koala populations around australia are in serious decline, with a substantial component of this decline in some southeast queensland populations attributed to the impact of chlamydia. a chlamydia vaccine for koalas is in development and has shown promise in early trials. this study contributes to implementation preparedness by simulating vaccination strategies designed to reverse population decline and by identifying which age and sex category it would be most effective to target. | 2014 | 24877768 |
| investigation of the koala (phascolarctos cinereus) hindgut microbiome via 16s pyrosequencing. | as a dietary source, the foliage of eucalyptus spp. is low in available protein and carbohydrate while containing polyphenolic compounds that interfere with enzymatic digestion. to overcome this, the koala (phascolarctos cinereus) has evolved a range of anatomical and physiological adaptations to assist with digestion and absorption of nutrients from this food source. microbial fermentation of partially digested eucalyptus leaves is thought to be critical in this process, however, little is know ... | 2013 | 24095569 |
| non-invasive evaluation of physiological stress in an iconic australian marsupial: the koala (phascolarctos cinereus). | koalas (phascolarctos cinereus) are the only extant representatives of australia's unique marsupial family phascolarctidae and were listed as nationally vulnerable in 2012. causes of mortality are diverse, although the disease chlamydiosis, dog attacks, collisions with cars, and loss of habitat represent the principal reasons for the continued species decline. koala breeding facilities in queensland and new south wales, australia have been established for conservation and tourism. non-invasive m ... | 2013 | 23583768 |
| the distribution and abundance of an island population of koalas (phascolarctos cinereus) in the far north of their geographic range. | koalas are an iconic species of charismatic megafauna, of substantial social and conservation significance. they are widely distributed, often at low densities, and individuals can be difficult to detect, making population surveys challenging and costly. consequently, koala population estimates have been limited and the results inconsistent. the aims of this study were to estimate the distribution, relative abundance and population size of the koalas on magnetic island, far north queensland. pop ... | 2013 | 23527258 |
| herds overhead: nimbadon lavarackorum (diprotodontidae), heavyweight marsupial herbivores in the miocene forests of australia. | the marsupial family diprotodontidae (diprotodontia, vombatiformes) is a group of extinct large-bodied (60-2500 kg) wombat-like herbivores that were common and geographically widespread in cenozoic fossil deposits of australia and new guinea. typically they are regarded to be gregarious, terrestrial quadrupeds and have been likened in body form among placental groups to sheep, rhinoceros and hippopotami. arguably, one of the best represented species is the zygomaturine diprotodontid nimbadon lav ... | 2012 | 23185250 |
| the development of an oral health charting system for koalas (phascolarctos cinereus). | the koala is one of australia's most highly specialized folivores with a diet exclusively of eucalyptus leaves to provide all nutritive needs and therefore requires to be free of oral disease as they are dependent on good dentition for optimal health and quality of life. we developed an oral examination methodology based on protocols for companion animals and human dentistry to chart the oral health of koalas. thirty free-ranging koalas from south-east queensland, australia were examined for gen ... | 2012 | 23505786 |
| seasonal reproduction in wild and captive male koala (phascolarctos cinereus) populations in south-east queensland. | the effects of breeding season (late spring to early autumn) on south-east queensland male koala fertility were examined to improve the efficacy of the ai procedure and to determine the practicality of using free-range animals as semen donors for a genome resource bank. seasonal changes in male koala reproductive function were assessed in a wild free-range population (n = 14; obtained every 6 weeks from january to november 2005), a necropsied healthy wild population (n = 84; obtained monthly fro ... | 2010 | 20353729 |
| genetic diversity and gene flow among southeastern queensland koalas (phascolarctos cinereus). | habitat fragmentation and destruction associated with the rapid urban and rural development of southeast queensland presents an immediate threat to the survival of koala populations within this region. a sensitive method combining heteroduplex analysis (hda) with temperature gradient gel electrophoresis (tgge) was optimized to detect within-species variation in a mitochondrial dna (mtdna) control-region fragment, approximately 670 bp in length, from the koala. eight different haplotypes were cha ... | 2000 | 10672159 |