Breidahl A J, Jansen E, McKee E, Maclagan S, Charles J, Samuel J, Beveridge I, Whiteley P, Traub R, Hufschmid J
Melbourne Veterinary School, Faculty of Science, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3052, Australia.
Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Burwood, Victoria, 3125, Australia.
Aust Vet J. 2025 Mar;103(3):138-148. doi: 10.1111/avj.13417. Epub 2025 Jan 26.
The southern brown bandicoot (Isoodon obesulus obesulus) is a small, endangered, Australian, ground-dwelling marsupial. Apart from isolated necropsy reports, there has not been a systematic investigation into the health and causes of death for this species.
To investigate and document the causes of death and the parasites of free-ranging populations of southern brown bandicoots in southern, central Victoria, Australia.
Gross necropsy, histopathology and identification of ectoparasites and endoparasites were performed on 62 dead southern brown bandicoots opportunistically collected from July 2011 to January 2018. Molecular methods were used to detect and genetically characterise the presence of Toxoplasma gondii in select tissues.
The vast majority of animals died as a result of either motor vehicle trauma or predation (45/62). A further seven bandicoots died from varying causes with either diagnostic gross or microscopic evidence of pathology, and there were five ejected pouch young. The cause of death was undetermined in another five cases. Toxoplasma gondii was detected in one southern brown bandicoot, which demonstrated polymorphisms in the B1 and SAG3 genes. This is the first definitively documented case of T. gondii infection in this species in Victoria. All of the identified parasites have previously been reported in southern brown bandicoots, apart from a metastrongyloid lungworm, which is reported here for the first time.
Motor vehicle trauma and predation are highlighted as causes of fatality that likely threaten these populations of southern brown bandicoots. Further investigation into the role that disease, particularly toxoplasmosis, may be playing in southern brown bandicoot population decline is recommended.
南褐袋狸（Isoodon obesulus obesulus）是一种小型的、濒危的、澳大利亚的地栖有袋动物。除了个别尸检报告外，尚未对该物种的健康状况和死亡原因进行系统调查。
调查并记录澳大利亚维多利亚州南部和中部自由放养的南褐袋狸种群的死亡原因和寄生虫情况。
对2011年7月至2018年1月间机会性收集的62只死亡南褐袋狸进行大体尸检、组织病理学检查以及体外寄生虫和体内寄生虫鉴定。采用分子方法检测并对选定组织中弓形虫的存在进行基因特征分析。
绝大多数动物死于机动车创伤或捕食（45/62）。另有7只袋狸因各种原因死亡，有明显的大体或显微镜下病理诊断证据，还有5只幼崽被挤出育儿袋。另外5例死亡原因不明。在1只南褐袋狸中检测到弓形虫，其B1和SAG3基因存在多态性。这是维多利亚州该物种首次明确记录的弓形虫感染病例。除一种首次在此报道的后圆线虫外，所有鉴定出的寄生虫此前均在南褐袋狸中被报道过。
机动车创伤和捕食被视为可能威胁这些南褐袋狸种群的致死原因。建议进一步调查疾病，特别是弓形虫病，在南褐袋狸种群数量下降中可能发挥的作用。
