Liver fluke infection in northwestern Tasmania

In 1979, liver fluke, Fasciola hepatica was reported in home-bred cattle, grazing coastal country at Mt Cameron West. Subsequent investigations confirmed the presence of the obligate intermediate host snail, Austropeplea tomentosa, in the draining water system and the presence of liver fluke in the herbivorous macropod, Thylogale billardierii. The infection, the first recorded in northwestern Tasmania, further supports observations that marsupials may act as reservoirs of liver fluke.