Wild dogs linked to $110m cattle parasite threat

Research in the Victorian High Country has linked wild dogs with potentially spreading an abortion-causing cattle parasite. See the details.

New research has found wild dogs may act as reservoirs for the Neospora caninum parasite, which causes abortions in cattle.

Wild dogs across Victoria could be acting as reservoirs for a parasite responsible for an estimated $110m in cattle reproduction losses across Australia each year, new research has found.

The five-year peer-reviewed study, led by University of Melbourne researcher Eliza Stott, found that 21 per cent of wild dogs in Swifts Creek and 11 per cent in Mansfield were carrying the parasite neospora caninum in their faecal material.

Neospora caninum causes abortion storms in cattle and hind-limb paralysis in dogs.

“This parasite has only been detected in wild dog populations relatively recently, and we have now detected it in a fairly large portion of our samples,” Eliza said.

“Although these findings might not be directly related to abortion storms in cattle farms in rural Victoria, our data demonstrates that wild dogs may contribute to the contamination of the natural environment with N. caninum.”

The parasite completes its life cycle in canids and can also exist in intermediate hosts in a non-reproductive way.

The parasite can be transmitted from mother to offspring or through environmental contamination, such as eating cattle placenta or offal. For intermediate hosts, the parasite can be transmitted where the animal ingests faeces from an infected dog, such as while grazing on pasture.

The research, conducted as part of Ms Stott’s veterinary biosciences honours thesis, tested faecal material from wild dog duodenum samples collected across three sites: Mansfield, Swifts Creek, and Tallangatta.

The findings have been published in the Journal of Wildlife Diseases.

Ms Stott said more research was needed to quantify the actual risk to cattle.

“Our results are not sufficient to quantify how likely it is for wild dogs to contaminate pastures where livestock species may acquire the infection,” she said.

“Significantly more research is required to understand the exact role that wild dogs, or other wildlife, have in the transmission of N.caninum, and their impact, if any, for cattle farming in East Gippsland and Victoria in general.

“Improved understanding of the parasite transmission routes would help drive better prevention efforts and thus lead to increased livestock production.”

To reduce parasite transmissions, farmers should prevent wild and domestic dogs from contaminating paddocks with faeces, avoid feeding aborted tissues to domestic dogs, promptly remove abortion material, and maintain good biosecurity practices.