2024/01/18 by Fiona F. Casey, Blaire T. Vallin, Jack Wolfenden +2
Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Immunology and Microbiology · Medicine · #Bird parasitology and diseases #Dermatological diseases and infestations #Study of Mite Species
paper · doi:10.1071/am23013
openalex publication_date 2024/01/18 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30
Nutrition is essential for not only survival but also successful growth and reproduction. Dietary demands are increased in a diseased state due to the increased energy and nutritional requirements associated with immune response, inflammation and convalescence. The herbivorous bare-nosed wombat (Vombatus ursinus) is notably susceptible to sarcoptic mange, a disease caused by the mite, Sarcoptes scabiei, which causes debilitating pruritic skin disease and leads to secondary bacterial infections and increased wombat morbidity and mortality, as well as regionally variable population declines. It is unknown why wombats are so susceptible to sarcoptic mange and if nutrition may play a role in disease expression, particularly relating to seasonality. The objective of this study was to quantify the differences in the nutritive value, over four seasons, of plants (mostly grasses and sedges) that are available as food items for bare-nosed wombats. We collected plants over four seasons from five wombat habitats that were known to have wombats affected by sarcoptic mange. We found seasonal and site differences for macro and micronutrients in the plants analysed. Monitoring the diet quality of wombats in the wild is useful for managing their populations and understanding population dynamics in relation to food resource quality.