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| Enteric protozoa in humans: |
| | Various anaerobic protozoa cause gastro-intestinal or urogenital diseases in humans, including Trichomonas and Entamoeba. Parasite isolates vary markedly in their pathogenicity and drug susceptibility/resistance. Molecular biological studies are being conducted with colleagues at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research to find genetic markers for traits of biological and clinical significance. |
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| Endosymbiotes in herbivores: |
| | Many herbivorous animals rely on endosymbiotic protozoa to help digest their food but little is known about the species inhabiting native Australian herbivores. Studies are being conducted to determine the microbial fauna of introduced eutherian mammals (ruminants and horses), native marsupials (kangaroos and wallabies), herbivorous reef-fish and wood-eating insects. Many novel ciliates and flagellates have been detected which are unique to their Australian hosts. |
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| Haemoprotozoa in birds: |
| | A national survey is being conducted to determine the taxa of enteric and blood protozoa occurring in Australian birds. Specific projects are currently being conducted with Currumbin Sanctuary, The University of Queensland Veterinary School, Taronga Zoo, Queensland Museum and the International Reference Centre for Avian Haematozoa. Morphological taxonomic characters have proven unreliable in many instances therefore molecular studies are being conducted to characterize species. |
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| Parasitic diseases of reptiles: |
| | Several projects are being conducted to identify protozoan parasites in blood and faecal samples from snakes and lizards in northern Australia, New Guinea and various Pacific Islands. These studies are focussed on parasites which may cause clinical diseases to indicate their involvement in declining host populations and to assess their potential for biological control of pest species. |
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| Protozoa of fish and shellfish: |
| | The Department participates in the CRC for Aquaculture and has a strong history of research on marine parasites, mainly helminths and crustaceans. These studies are now being augmented by parallel studies on protozoan parasites of fish and shellfish. Projects are being conducted on endoparasites and ectocommensal fouling organisms of marine and freshwater fish and shellfish using facilities at the Stradbroke Island and Heron Island Research Stations. |
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| Water contamination: |
| | Cryptosporidium oocysts and Giardia cysts are being detected with increased frequency in both raw and treated freshwater sources. However, little is known about their origin, viability, infectivity, virulence and pathogenicity. Parasites are being recovered from different hosts and genetically typed to indicate their host range and distribution. Different water treatment options are also being examined for their efficacy in removing or killing parasitic cysts. |
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| Diagnostic keys: |
| | Modern information technology is being applied to the identification of protozoan parasites and their diseases. Differential diagnosis is frequently complicated by parasite pleomorphy, broad host specificity and geographic range and the relative nonspecificity of associated clinical disease. I want to amalgamate these discordant character sets into one comprehensive database using LucID software from CPITT (Centre for Pest Information Technology and Transfer) to develop interactive, random-access, multimedia keys to protozoan parasites in Australian hosts. |
