A5103283791- Reproductive tract infections research
- Gut microbiota and health
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
- Dermatological diseases and infestations
- Microbial infections and disease research
- Bird parasitology and diseases
- Vector-borne infectious diseases
- Rabies epidemiology and control
- Zoonotic diseases and public health
- Viral Infections and Vectors
- Bacterial Identification and Susceptibility Testing
- Plant and fungal interactions
- Animal Behavior and Welfare Studies
- Vector-Borne Animal Diseases
- Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies
- Human-Animal Interaction Studies
- Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health
- Cervical Cancer and HPV Research
- Parasitic Diseases Research and Treatment
- Yersinia bacterium, plague, ectoparasites research
- Insect symbiosis and bacterial influences
- Reproductive Physiology in Livestock
- Urinary Tract Infections Management
- Veterinary Pharmacology and Anesthesia
- Parasites and Host Interactions
Nepean Hospital
2019-2024
The University of Sydney
2019-2024
IP Australia
2021-2023
WaterNSW
2020
ASM International
2020
University of the Sunshine Coast
2014-2019
MEP Equine Solutions (United States)
2019
St. Leonards Hospital
2019
Animal Welfare Institute
2019
Academy of Vocal Arts
2019
The koala, the only extant species of marsupial family Phascolarctidae, is classified as 'vulnerable' due to habitat loss and widespread disease. We sequenced koala genome, producing a complete contiguous reference including centromeres. reveal that koala's ability detoxify eucalypt foliage may be expansions within cytochrome P450 gene family, its smell, taste moderate ingestion plant secondary metabolites in vomeronasal receptors. characterized novel lactation proteins protect young pouch...
Increasing human population size and the concomitant expansion of urbanisation significantly impact natural ecosystems native fauna globally. Successful conservation management relies on precise information factors associated with wildlife decline, which are challenging to acquire from populations. Wildlife Rehabilitation Centres (WRC) provide a rich source this information. However, few researchers have conducted large-scale longitudinal studies, most focussing narrow taxonomic ranges,...
Abstract Advances in culture-independent methods have meant that we can more readily detect and diagnose emerging infectious disease threats humans animals. Metagenomics is fast becoming a popular tool for detection characterisation of novel bacterial pathogens their environment, particularly useful obligate intracellular bacteria such as Chlamydiae require labour-intensive culturing. We used this to investigate the microbial metagenomes Chlamydia -positive cloaca choana samples from snakes....
Chlamydia psittaci is an avian pathogen capable of spill-over infections to humans. A parrot C. strain was recently detected in equine reproductive loss case associated with a subsequent cluster human infections. In this study, we screened for cases reported regional New South Wales, Australia during the 2016 foaling season. specific-PCR screening foetal and placental tissue samples from abortion (n = 161) foals compromised health status 38) revealed positivity 21.1% 23.7%, respectively....
The koala, Phascolarctos cinereus, is a biologically unique and evolutionarily distinct Australian arboreal marsupial. goal of this study was to sequence the transcriptome from several tissues two geographically separate koalas, create first comprehensive catalog annotated transcripts for species, enabling detailed analysis attributes threatened native marsupial, including infection by koala retrovirus. RNA-Seq data generated range one male female assembled de novo into using Velvet-Oases....
Chlamydial disease continues to be one of the main factors threatening long-term survival koala (Phascolarctos cinereus). Despite this, large epidemiological studies chlamydial infection and in wild populations are lacking. A better understanding prevalence, transmission pathogenesis is needed improve control measures, such as development vaccines. We investigated prevalence Chlamydia pecorum 160 koalas a peri-urban population Queensland, Australia found that 31% were PCR positive 28% had...
Chlamydia are a genus of successful obligate intracellular pathogens spread across humans, wildlife, and domesticated animals. The most common species reported in livestock this abortus, psittaci, suis, pecorum. Chlamydial infections trigger series inflammatory disease-related sequelae including arthritis, conjunctivitis, pneumonia, abortion. Other bacteria the phylum Chlamydiae have also been wildlife but their impact on animal health is less clear. Control chlamydial relies use macrolides,...
Chlamydia psittaci and pecorum are important veterinary pathogens, with the former also being responsible for zoonoses, latter adversely affecting koala populations in Australia livestock globally. The rapid detection of these organisms is still challenging, particularly at point-of-care (POC). In present study, we developed evaluated rapid, sensitive robust C. psittaci-specific pecorum-specific Loop Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP) assays pathogens.The LAMP assays, performed a Genie...
Koalas ( Phascolarctos cinereus ) are arboreal marsupials native to Australia that eat a specialized diet of almost exclusively eucalyptus leaves. Microbes in koala intestines known break down otherwise toxic compounds, such as tannins, Infections by Chlamydia , obligate intracellular bacterial pathogens, highly prevalent populations. If animals with infections received wildlife hospitals, range antibiotics can be used treat them. However, previous studies suggested koalas suffer adverse...
Sarcoptic mange, caused by the parasitic mite Sarcoptes scabiei, causes a substantive burden of disease to humans, domestic animals and wildlife, globally. There are many effects S. scabiei infection, culminating in which hosts suffer. However, major knowledge gaps remain on pathogenic impacts this infection. Here, we focus bare-nosed wombat host (Vombatus ursinus) investigate mange on: (i) heat loss thermoregulation, (ii) field metabolic rates, (iii) foraging resting behaviour across full...
Abstract Production of milk is a key characteristic mammals, but the features lactation vary greatly between monotreme, marsupial and eutherian mammals. Marsupials have short gestation followed by long period, constituents across lactation. are born immunologically naïve rely on their mother’s for immunological protection. Koalas ( Phascolarctos cinereus ) an iconic Australian species that increasingly threatened disease. Here we use mammary transcriptome, two proteomes koala genome to...
Babesia spp. and Theileria are important emerging causes of disease in dogs. Alongside these domesticated hosts, there is increasing recognition that piroplasms can also be found a range wild animals with isolated reports describing the presence pathogen foxes (Vulpes vulpes) captive grey wolves (Canis lupus). The prevalence impact infections free-ranging populations canids unknown. To gain better insight into epidemiology pathogenesis piroplasm wolves, pathological molecular investigations...
We assessed the effects of two different single-dose anti-Chlamydia pecorum (C. pecorum) vaccines (containing either Major Outer Membrane Protein (3MOMP) or Polymorphic (Pmp) as antigens) on immune response a group wild koalas. Both elicited systemic humoral seen by production anti-chlamydial IgG antibodies in more than 90% vaccinated A mucosal was also observed, with an increase Chlamydia-specific and/or IgA some koalas post-vaccination. cell-mediated measured cytokines IFN-γ and IL-17 To...
Abstract Long‐term pathogen control or eradication in wildlife is rare and represents a major challenge conservation. Control particularly difficult for environmentally transmitted pathogens, including some of the most conservation‐critical diseases. We undertook treatment programme aimed at population‐scale Sarcoptes scabiei mite (causative agent sarcoptic mange) during an epizootic bare‐nosed wombats ( Vombatus ursinus ). Field trial results were used to parameterize mechanistic...
Abstract Chlamydia pecorum is an established and prevalent infection that produces severe clinical disease in many koala populations, contributing to dramatic population declines. In wild South Australian C . occurrence distribution unknown. Here, pecorum- specific real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) was applied ocular urogenital swabs from targeted surveys of koalas the mainland Mount Lofty Ranges (MLR) (n = 75) Kangaroo Island (KI) 170) populations. Historical data 13,081 KI (1997–2018)...
Debilitating skin infestations caused by the mite, Sarcoptes scabiei, have a profound impact on human and animal health globally. In Australia, this is evident across different segments of Australian society, with growing recognition that it can contribute to rapid declines native marsupials. Cross-host transmission has been suggested play significant role in epidemiology origin mite species but chronic lack genetic resources made further inferences difficult. To investigate origins...