Is Toxoplasma gondii a threat to the conservation of free-ranging Australian marsupial populations?

Hillman, A.E., Lymbery, A.J.ORCID: 0000-0002-0542-3446 and Thompson, R.C.A. (2016) Is Toxoplasma gondii a threat to the conservation of free-ranging Australian marsupial populations? International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife, 5 (1). pp. 17-27.

Abstract

It has often been asserted that Australian marsupial species are particularly susceptible to Toxoplasma gondii infection and to clinical toxoplasmosis following infection. This implicates T. gondii as a potential threat to marsupial population viability, and contrasts to what is known of T. gondii in populations of several other host species. We reviewed the literature, and found a lack of scientifically robust evidence addressing the occurrence of T. gondii infection in free-ranging populations of Australian marsupial species, and the impacts of the infection on population health. Key limitations included a lack of studies in free-ranging marsupial populations, study findings susceptible to substantial chance influences, and selection, misclassification and confounding biases. The lack of scientifically robust data available on this topic indicates that assertions that free-ranging populations of Australian marsupials are particularly susceptible to T. gondii infection and to toxoplasmosis are premature. The threat of T. gondii to the viability of free-ranging marsupial populations should therefore be regarded, at this stage, as a hypothesis.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Murdoch Affiliation(s):	School of Veterinary and Life Sciences
Publisher:	Elsevier Limited
Copyright:	© 2015 The Authors.
URI:	http://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/29544

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