A review of parasites in the Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii)

Wait, Liana F.; Peck, Sarah; Fox, Samantha; Power, Michelle

doi:10.1007/s10531-016-1256-x

Cited by 13 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 82 publications

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“…Using our framework, we hope that this research and approach for identifying vulnerable parasite species will be translatable to other endangered hosts and their parasites. Tasmanian devils (Sarcophilus harrisii) are currently threatened by devil facial tumour disease, which has spread through more than 85% of the Tasmanian devil's distribution since the infectious cancer was first recorded in 1996 [ 8 _ T D $ D I F F ] (reviewed in [66]). A conservation programme has been established that is not only concerned with the conservation of the Tasmanian devil but also its parasites.…”

Section: Outstanding Questionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, current knowledge of parasites in the Tasmanian devil is limited[ 9 _ T D $ D I F F ] , and most known Tasmanian devil parasites have not been reported in the literature since the emergence of devil facial tumour disease. A recent review of historical and current records suggests that there are at least five parasites that are host[ 1 0 _ T D $ D I F F ] -specific to the Tasmanian devil: two ectoparasites and three helminths that may be particularly at risk of extinction [66]. One of these, the mite [ 1 1 _ T D $ D I F F ] Satanicoptes armatus, has only been recorded from captive Tasmanian devils.…”

Section: Outstanding Questionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…With captive breeding now a critical part of the conservation management of the Tasmanian [ 1 3 _ T D $ D I F F ] devil, the authors highlight the challenges associated with preserving the native parasite fauna of these animals in captive environments [66]. Specifically, they highlight the complexity of the life cycle of many of these parasites as a limiting factor in terms of their conservation, where the retention of transmission cycles through trophic transmission paths is challenging to maintain.…”

Section: Outstanding Questionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Parasites at Risk – Insights from an Endangered Marsupial

Thompson

Lymbery

Godfrey

2018

Trends in Parasitology

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Parasites are the most abundant form of life on earth and are vital components of ecosystem health. Yet, it is only relatively recently that attention has been given to the risks of extinction that parasites face when their hosts, particularly wildlife, are endangered. In such circumstances, parasites that are host-specific with complicated life cycles are most at risk. Such extinction/coextinction events have been poorly documented, principally because of the difficulties of following such extinction processes in nature. Fortunately, we were presented with the rare opportunity to catalogue an endangered Australian marsupial's parasites; we present our near-complete catalogue here. We incorporate this catalogue into a predictive framework to understand which parasites might be most vulnerable to coextinction, which we hope will serve as a model for endangered hosts and their parasites elsewhere.

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Section: Outstanding Questionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Outstanding Questionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Outstanding Questionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Parasites at Risk – Insights from an Endangered Marsupial

Thompson

Lymbery

Godfrey

2018

Trends in Parasitology

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“…As a consequence of transmission being driven by social interactions, DFTD is still present, even in largely depleted populations of hosts [ 7 ]. Therefore, any additional pressure(s) on the host health, such as co-infections with haemoparasites, could further threaten imperilled populations, yet, little is known regarding the devil’s parasite community [ 13 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Blood Parasites in Endangered Wildlife-Trypanosomes Discovered during a Survey of Haemoprotozoa from the Tasmanian Devil

et al. 2020

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The impact of emerging infectious diseases is increasingly recognised as a major threat to wildlife. Wild populations of the endangered Tasmanian devil, Sarcophilus harrisii, are experiencing devastating losses from a novel transmissible cancer, devil facial tumour disease (DFTD); however, despite the rapid decline of this species, there is currently no information on the presence of haemoprotozoan parasites. In the present study, 95 Tasmanian devil blood samples were collected from four populations in Tasmania, Australia, which underwent molecular screening to detect four major groups of haemoprotozoa: (i) trypanosomes, (ii) piroplasms, (iii) Hepatozoon, and (iv) haemosporidia. Sequence results revealed Trypanosoma infections in 32/95 individuals. Trypanosoma copemani was identified in 10 Tasmanian devils from three sites and a second Trypanosoma sp. was identified in 22 individuals that were grouped within the poorly described T. cyclops clade. A single blood sample was positive for Babesia sp., which most closely matched Babesia lohae. No other blood protozoan parasite DNA was detected. This study provides the first insight into haemoprotozoa from the Tasmanian devil and the first identification of Trypanosoma and Babesia in this carnivorous marsupial.

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“…( Stringer and Linklater, 2014 ). Some key assessments have been made for parasites of high-profile hosts like the black-footed ferret ( Gompper and Williams, 1998 ) or the Tasmanian devil ( Wait et al, 2017 ), but more expansive assessments are rare. Recent work has pushed to embrace a broader perspective on symbiosis within parasitology ( Jovani et al, 2017 ), and in the context of global change biology, we believe this is an important step towards effective conservation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Parasite Extinction Assessment & Red List: an open-source, online biodiversity database for neglected symbionts

Phillips

et al. 2017

Preprint

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Parasite conservation is a rapidly growing field at the intersection of ecology, epidemiology, parasitology, and public health. The overwhelming diversity of parasitic life on earth, and recent work showing that parasites and other symbionts face severe extinction risk, necessitates infrastructure for parasite conservation assessments. Here, we describe the release of the Parasite Extinction Assessment & Red List (PEARL) version 1.0, an open-access database of conservation assessments and distributional data for almost 500 macroparasitic invertebrates. The current approach to vulnerability assessment is based on range shifts and loss from climate change, and will be expanded as additional data (e.g., host-parasite associations and coextinction risk) is consolidated in PEARL. The web architecture is also open-source, scalable, and extensible, making PEARL a template for more eZcient red listing for other high-diversity, data-de1cient groups. Future iterations will also include new functionality, including a user-friendly open data pository and automated assessment and re-listing.

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A review of parasites in the Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii)

Cited by 13 publications

References 82 publications

Parasites at Risk – Insights from an Endangered Marsupial

Parasites at Risk – Insights from an Endangered Marsupial

Blood Parasites in Endangered Wildlife-Trypanosomes Discovered during a Survey of Haemoprotozoa from the Tasmanian Devil

The Parasite Extinction Assessment & Red List: an open-source, online biodiversity database for neglected symbionts

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