Causes of mortality and morbidity in the endangered southern brown bandicoot (Isoodon obesulus obesulus).

ABSTRACT: 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.

Objective

To investigate and document the causes of death and the parasites of free-ranging populations of southern brown bandicoots in southern, central Victoria, Australia.

Methods

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.

Results

The vast majo

SUBMITTER: Breidahl AJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11879480 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature