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Background: Melioidosis, caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei, is an important disease that is endemic in areas of northern Australia and can cause a wide range of clinical signs in people and animals. There is limited published data on the disease in marsupials., Case Report: Two captive red-legged pademelons (Thylogale stigmatica) with collective signs of lethargy, dysphagia and bloody oral discharge were submitted for necropsy and showed variations in pathology findings ranging from multifocal abscessation in various tissues to evidence of fulminant septicaemia. In both cases Burkholderia pseudomallei was confirmed by bacterial culture and qPCR., Conclusion: This report details the first report of melioidosis in captive red-legged pademelons (Thylogale stigmatica) and describes the variations in clinical signs and pathological findings that were encountered with the disease. More research is needed to better understand melioidosis in marsupials to aid clinicians in making a prompt diagnosis., (© 2024 Australian Veterinary Association.)

A mortality event involving 23 allied rock-wallabies (Petrogale assimilis) displaying neurological signs and sudden death occurred in late April to May 2021 in a suburban residential area directly adjacent to Magnetic Island National Park, on Magnetic Island (Yunbenun), North Queensland, Australia. Three allied rock-wallabies were submitted for necropsy, and in all three cases, the cause of death was disseminated toxoplasmosis. This mortality event was unusual because only a small, localised population of native wallabies inhabiting a periurban area on a tropical island in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area were affected. A disease investigation determined the outbreak was likely linked to the presence of free-ranging feral and domesticated cats inhabiting the area. There were no significant deaths of other wallabies or wildlife in the same or other parts of Magnetic Island (Yunbenun) at the time of the outbreak. This is the first reported case of toxoplasmosis in allied rock-wallabies (Petrogale assimilis), and this investigation highlights the importance of protecting native wildlife species from an infectious and potentially fatal parasitic disease., (© 2024 The Authors. Australian Veterinary Journal published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Australian Veterinary Association.)

A novel alphaherpesvirus was detected in a captive adult, lactating, female koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) admitted to James Cook University Veterinary Emergency Teaching & Clinical Hospital in March 2019, showing signs of anorexia and severe respiratory disease. Postmortem examination revealed gross pathology indicative of pneumonia. Histopathology demonstrated a chronic interstitial pneumonia, multifocal necrotising adrenalitis and hepatitis. Intranuclear inclusion bodies were detected by light microscopy in the respiratory epithelium of the bronchi, bronchioles, alveoli, and hepatocytes, biliary epithelium and adrenal gland associated with foci of necrosis. Cryptococcus gattii was isolated from fresh lung on necropsy, positively identified by PCR, and detected histologically by light microscopy, only in the lung tissue. A universal viral family-level PCR indicated that the virus was a member of the Herpesviruses. Sequence analysis in comparison to other known and published herpesviruses, indicated the virus was a novel alphaherpesvirus, with 97% nucleotide identity to macropodid alphaherpesvirus 1. We provisionally name the novel virus phascolarctid alphaherpesvirus 3 (PhaHV-3). Further research is needed to determine the distribution of this novel alphaherpesvirus in koala populations and establish associations with disease in this host species., (© 2022 The Authors. Australian Veterinary Journal published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Australian Veterinary Association.)