Infection with the larval stage of the cestode, Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato (s.l.), causes hydatid disease (hydatidosis) in a range of hosts, including macropods and other marsupials, cattle, and humans. Wild macropods are an important sylvatic reservoir for the life cycle of E. granulosus (s.l.) in Australia, and so provide a conduit for transmission of hydatid disease to domestic animals and humans. Two Lumholtz's tree-kangaroos (Dendrolagus lumholtzi) from the Atherton Tablelands of Far North Queensland were recently found to have hydatid cysts in both liver and lung tissues. Tree-kangaroos may travel across the ground between patches of forest but are primarily arboreal leaf-eating macropods. The finding of hydatid cysts in an arboreal folivore may indicate that the area has a high level of contamination with eggs of E. granulosus (s.l.). This finding may be of significance to human health as well as indicating the need for further investigation into the prevalence of hydatid disease in domestic stock, wildlife and humans living in this rapidly urbanizing region.
Keywords: echinococcus; hydatid disease; public health; tree-kangaroo; zoonosis.