Wildlife experts on the Sunshine Coast have reported an increase in reptiles infected with orophidiomycosis, a fatal fungal disease, with researchers warning it poses a biosecurity risk to wild snake and lizard populations across Australia.
Wildlife experts warn of fungal disease spread among reptiles in south-east Queensland
Wildlife experts on the Sunshine Coast have reported an increase in reptiles infected with orophidiomycosis, a fatal fungal disease, with researchers warning it poses a biosecurity risk to wild snake and lizard populations across Australia.
Snake catcher Stuart McKenzie said a large number of snakes displaying fungal disease symptoms were found over winter on the Sunshine Coast and sent to a laboratory for testing. A red-bellied black snake found at a Woodford job site this month was described by McKenzie as 'absolutely riddled with this fatal disease'. Symptoms include yellow-brown lesions, crusty scabs, rotting scales, bleeding, unusual skin shedding, lethargy, and weight loss.
University of Queensland wildlife veterinarian and researcher Shelly Butcher said she was part of the team that diagnosed the nation's first reported case of snake fungal disease, found in an eastern bandy-bandy snake on the Sunshine Coast two years ago. In 2024, her team recorded 10 cases: one snake died in care and the other nine were euthanased. Butcher said she had not successfully treated and released a snake, stating the disease had been too severe in all cases.
Butcher's team sampled eight snakes found on the Sunshine Coast with skin lesions during winter this year, including eastern brown snakes, red-bellied black snakes, and carpet pythons. Results for those cases were still pending at the time of reporting. She said closely related fungal diseases had also been found in bearded dragons and water dragons.
Researchers said they were not certain of the disease's origin but suspected the illegal pet trade or domestic pets imported from overseas. Butcher's PhD research is focused on broadscale surveillance of the disease. She said her team was alerting wildlife hospitals around the country to test for the disease, as it could appear anywhere in Australia.
Snakes can be tested either alive or dead using microscopic tissue examination combined with PCR and DNA sequencing of a skin swab or tissue sample. The only commercial laboratory in Australia offering this test is the Hyndman Reptile Pathogen Laboratory at Murdoch University in Perth. Preliminary results may return within one to two weeks, but final results can take up to two months.
Butcher said the disease posed 'major biosecurity concerns' because her team had no way to trace it outside of care, making it risky to release an infected snake. She said Australia had the highest diversity of reptile species of any country, the majority endemic, and expressed particular concern about the disease reaching already-stressed threatened species facing climate change, habitat loss, and invasive species. Researchers believe the disease could reduce reptile numbers or, if unchecked, lead to extinctions.
Both experts asked Queenslanders to contact wildlife authorities if they encountered an unwell snake. Butcher said every reported case would improve chances of treating the disease and protecting native reptile species.
- Queensland's departments of primary industries and the environment had been contacted for comment but no response was included in the source.
- The total number of cases recorded since 2024 is not known, as Butcher stated her team had no way of tracking cases outside of care.
- Results for the eight snakes sampled on the Sunshine Coast during winter 2025 were pending at the time of publication.
- No information is provided on whether any other Australian states have confirmed cases of the disease.
- No details are provided on what regulatory or government response, if any, is under way to address the disease's spread.
Read the original at ABC News Australia