AN UNDESCRIBED DEMODEX SP. AND DEMODICOSIS IN A CAPTIVE KOALA (PHASCOLARCTOS CINEREUS)
March 2000
in “
Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine
”
TLDR A new type of mite caused hair loss in a koala, which was treated successfully with ivermectin.
A 12-year-old male koala in captivity developed bilateral, noninflammatory periocular alopecia, which was found to be caused by a previously undescribed species of Demodex mites. Skin scrapings and biopsies revealed multiple mites in the superficial keratin and hair follicles, accompanied by mild lymphocytic folliculitis. The condition, termed demodicosis, was successfully treated with daily oral ivermectin. This case was significant as it was the first confirmed instance of demodicosis in koalas, although similar mites had been reported in another koala with periocular alopecia.
