Introduced invasive pathogen, a threat to native wildlife

"Research suggests the spread of the mites around the world is associated with European colonialism... In Australia, the mites were likely introduced multiple times over the past 230 years."

"In southern Australia, sarcoptic mange is mostly a concern for wildlife health. It can be deadly to bare-nosed wombats, as well as some other species including koalas and quenda (also known as western brown bandicoots). In tropical northern Australia, scabies is a significant (although rarely life-threatening) human health issue."
"A sarcoptic mange outbreak in a population of bare-nosed wombats in central Tasmania, which caused a population decline of more than 80%."

https://theconversation.com/disease-in-the-dirt-how-mange-causing-mites-decimated-a-tasmanian-wombat-population-211992
#SarcopticMange #wildlife #biodiversity #wombats #koalas #EuropeanColonialism #dogs #scabies #Australia