Abstract
Recently, CSIRO Publishing (Collingwood, Victoria, Australia) produced two important texts on the medicine and pathology of Australian animals. These books are not published as a set or a series, but they complement each other nicely. Together, they present a comprehensive set of information on Australian wildlife. It is likely that between them they will provide both interest and direction for medicine and pathology of Australian species for many years to come.
More than 30 of Australia's leading wildlife veterinarians have eloquently addressed the management and medical concerns of Australia's native mammals. The first four chapters present general medical considerations for wildlife care and evaluations. Topics addressed include wildlife rescue and rehabilitation, hand rearing, marine mammal stranding response, and wildlife health investigations. This overview covers concerns associated with many species.
The rest of the book's chapters each address specific taxa—from echidnas to dugongs, with koalas and wombats in between. These chapters present comprehensive material in a user-friendly form. Each chapter begins with taxonomy, anatomy and physiology, and management including housing and restraint. The meat and potatoes include clinical pathology, specific diseases, and therapeutics. The focus is Australian native wildlife; the disease and therapeutic information includes data from animals both in Australia and in captive collections throughout the world. Disease conditions reported come from published reports and reviews in the extensive Australian Registry of Wildlife Health. Figures scattered throughout the text are well-chosen to illustrate the material. Photos and drawings vary from whole animal images to anatomical preps, examples of animal restraint, and lesions of disease. The references presented at the end of each chapter offer a comprehensive list of original works.
The appendices of this book warrant special note. The first is a taxonomic list of the mammals of Australia with scientific and common names. The second appendix is a guide to identification of common parasites. In this appendix, Spratt, Beveridge, Skerratt, and Speare present the how, where, and who of mammalian parasites by organ system for each of the previously described taxa. The appendix has beautiful mug shots of nematodes and a few micrographs of ova. The presentation dovetailing with the previous chapters makes it an easy-to-use reference.
I found this book both user-friendly and fascinating. The comprehensive approach to the medical facets of wildlife of a continent is unprecedented. My interest was high for everything from the comparative pathology of mucormycosis in platypus to the specifics of chlamydiosis in koalas. The section on the viral diseases of bats should interest veterinarians and physicians alike. The mammalian wildlife of Australia is unique. Many of the disease conditions of these species are quite specific and unusual. The response to common disease agents in these animals makes this a compelling text.
The book is of value to veterinary students, clinicans, and pathologists worldwide working with free ranging or captive wildlife. It is a “must have” for clinicians and pathologists involved with these species in zoological collections.
The strength of the text reflects the strong background of the editors. This team provides a comprehensive perspective on wildlife medicine. Larry Vogelnest has been a senior veterinarian at Taronga Zoo since 1994. His position involves care and management of the diverse collection at that facility as well as a medical care for wildlife admitted to the Taronga Wildlife Hospital. Dr. Rupert Woods is the manager of the Australian Wildlife Health Network. In this capacity, he is involved in facilitating collaborations in investigating wildlife health in support of human and animal health, biodiversity, and trade. Both editors are donating their royalties from the sale of this text to wildlife health concerns. What better reason do you need for buying a great book?
Pathology of Australian Native Wildlife by P Ladds. 648 pp. CSIRO Publishing, Victoria, Australia, 2009. $172.00 (paperback), $140.99 (hardcover). ISBN 978-0-643-09444-4.
This text reflects the monumental efforts of Dr. Philip Ladds. The work is composed of 45 chapters concerning diseases of various etiologies impacting both captive and free-ranging Australian mammals, birds, retiles, and amphibians. Conditions are divided by taxa and etiology: infectious, parasitic, toxic, neoplastic, congenital, nutritional/metabolic, and miscellaneous. Fish continue to swim alone—they are not included here, but the diversity of conditions and species presented is not lacking for their absence. While the primary focus is anatomic pathology, information of clinical relevance and diagnostic options are included in the descriptions of conditions.
Dr. Ladds has addressed a common challenge of wildlife medicine—the lack of a repository of central collected information. He incorporates materials from personal communications, newsletters, proceedings, and peer reviewed publications to present comprehensive reports of conditions of concern to these species. The variable nature of the source material means that disease presentations vary from clinical reports to in-depth investigation of etiology and pathogenesis. This presentation provides a foundation for comparative evaluations as well-as a pathologist's perspective on a diverse range of disease publications. The chapters at times are short because of the need for further investigations in so many areas of wildlife pathology. Throughout the material, gross photos and photomicrographs illustrate the lesions described.
This is a pathology text that will serves as a basis for comparative medicine and future areas of investigation for many years to come. Of particular interest to me are conditions such as neurologic disease in brushtail possums and numerous parasitic conditions of many species. These conditions have excellent work-ups but still require further investigations to better define the etiology and/or pathogenesis.
This book puts together information on a diverse spectrum of species. Because of this, it is of value to veterinary pathologists, students, and wildlife and zoo biologists. It will serve as an excellent introduction to both what is known and what needs further investigation in species of Australia. It provides excellent focus on the diseases of Australian fauna and the known information on the etiologies and concerns related to those conditions.
Dr. Ladds is a pathologist's pathologist. His areas of interest and contributions have been diverse and consistently excellent. He has authored other significant pathology books known throughout the world. These include A Color Atlas of Lymph Node Pathology in Cattle and The Color Atlas of Veterinary Reproductive Pathology. While his origins are in concerns of domestic species, it is his work on topics like the skin diseases of crocodiles and Tasmanian devil facial tumor that make him the right man for the job of creating an overview of the complete pathology of Australia's wildlife.