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• Qualifications

  PhD entitled "Oxalate nephrosis in a population of South Australian koalas", University of Adelaide, SA

  Honours degree, Reproductive biology unit, University of Adelaide, SA

  Bachelor of Science (Veterinary Biology)/ Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine & Surgery, Murdoch University, WA

   

• Research Interests

  Koala health and disease

  My research focusses on the health and diseases of koalas in South Australia, particularly oxalate nephrosis, Chlamydia, and koala retrovirus.

  Oxalate nephrosis is characterised by the precipitation of calcium oxalate in the kidneys, causing affected koalas to become ill due to kidney dysfunction. The main aims of my research have been to describe the renal histopathology and clinical biochemical abnormalities of the disease, and to determine the potential cause(s) of oxalate nephrosis in this koala population. Dietary oxalate in eucalypt leaves has been tested in several local species and found to be fairly low overall, and therefore unlikely to be the primary cause of oxalate nephrosis in koalas. An inherited abnormality of oxalate metabolism is the most likely cause but has not yet been able to be proven. It is also possible that climatic factors, such as the hot, dry summer that occurs in South Australia, contribute to the severity of this disease in SA koalas.

  Our research group has investigated Chlamydia prevalence and pathology in South Australian koala populations, and its association with koala retrovirus, as well as the differing characteristics of koala retrovirus infection in southern koalas in relation to viral loads and disease manifestation.

  Other current research interests include endocrine gland morphology and histology; gastrointestinal microbiome of koalas; and the impact of the bushfires on koala health.

• Publications

  2024	McDougall, F. K., Speight, N., Funnell, O., Boardman, W. S. J., & Power, M. L. (2024). Dynamics of Antimicrobial Resistance Carriage in Koalas (Phascolarctos Cinereus) and Pteropid Bats (Pteropus Poliocephalus) Before, During and After Wildfires. Microbial Ecology, 87(1), 15 pages.
  2024	Hough, I., O'Handley, R., & Speight, N. (2024). Cryptosporidium-associated enteritis in captive koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus). Australian Veterinary Journal, 102(6), 313-315.
  2023	Baek, C., Woolford, L., Funnell, O., McLelland, J., Eddy, S., Stephenson, T., & Speight, N. (2023). Cutaneous and Respiratory Lesions in Bushfire-Affected Koalas. Veterinary Sciences, 10(11), 10 pages.
  2023	McDougall, F. K., Boardman, W. S. J., Speight, N., Stephenson, T., Funnell, O., Smith, I., . . . Power, M. L. (2023). Carriage of antibiotic resistance genes to treatments for chlamydial disease in koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus): A comparison of occurrence before and during catastrophic wildfires. One Health, 17, 10 pages.
  2023	Blanchard, A. M., Emes, R. D., Greenwood, A. D., Holmes, N., Loose, M. W., McEwen, G. K., . . . Tarlinton, R. E. (2023). Genome Reference Assembly for Bottlenecked Southern Australian Koalas. Genome Biology and Evolution, 15(1), 5 pages.   Scopus3 WoS1 Europe PMC2
  2023	Scopus4 WoS1 Europe PMC3
  2022	Buchanan, C., Woolford, L., Stephenson, T., Hoebergen, M., Kovac, J. H., Breed, W. G., & Speight, N. (2022). TESTIS ABNORMALITIES IN A POPULATION OF SOUTH AUSTRALIAN KOALAS (PHASCOLARCTOS CINEREUS).. Journal of Wildlife Diseases, 58(1), 158-167.
  2022	Speight, N. (2022). Health and Diseases of Koalas. Animals, 12(8), 1005.
  2022	Tarlinton, R. E., Legione, A. R., Sarker, N., Fabijan, J., Meers, J., McMichael, L., . . . Emes, R. D. (2022). Differential and defective transcription of koala retrovirus indicates the complexity of host and virus evolution.. J Gen Virol, 103(6), 1-17.   Scopus4 WoS2 Europe PMC3
  2021	Stephenson, T., Lee, K., Griffith, J. E., McLelland, D. J., Wilkes, A., Bird, P. S., . . . Woolford, L. (2021). Pulmonary Actinomycosis in South Australian Koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus).. Veterinary Pathology, 58(2), 416-422.   Scopus1 WoS1
  2021	Tarlinton, R. E., Fabijan, J., Hemmatzadeh, F., Meers, J., Owen, H., Sarker, N., . . . Emes, R. D. (2021). Transcriptomic and genomic variants between koala populations reveals underlying genetic components to disorders in a bottlenecked population. Conservation Genetics, 22(3), 329-340.   Scopus5 WoS4
  2021	Stephenson, T., Speight, N., Low, W. Y., Woolford, L., Tearle, R., & Hemmatzadeh, F. (2021). Molecular Diagnosis of Koala Retrovirus (KoRV) in South Australian Koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus). Animals, 11(5), 1-13.   Scopus3 WoS3 Europe PMC2
  2021	Dunstan, E., Funnell, O., McLelland, J., Stoeckeler, F., Nishimoto, E., Mitchell, D., . . . Speight, N. (2021). An analysis of demographic and triage assessment findings in bushfire-affected koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) on kangaroo island, south australia, 2019–2020. Animals, 11(11), 3237.   Scopus12 WoS6 Europe PMC7
  2020	Downey, P., Caraguel, C., Speight, K. N., Fabijan, J. H., & Boardman, W. S. (2020). Field anaesthesia using alfaxalone and alfaxalone-medetomidine in free ranging koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus), a randomised comparative study.. Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia, 47(3), 368-376.  Scopus2 WoS1
  2020	Sarker, N., Fabijan, J., Owen, H., Seddon, J., Simmons, G., Speight, N., . . . Tarlinton, R. E. (2020). Koala retrovirus viral load and disease burden in distinct northern and southern koala populations.. Sci Rep, 10(1), 263.   Scopus18 WoS16 Europe PMC13
  2020	Butcher, R. G., Pettett, L. M., Fabijan, J., Ebrahimie, E., Mohammadi-Dehcheshmeh, M., Speight, K. N., . . . Trott, D. J. (2020). Periodontal disease in free-ranging koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) from the Mount Lofty Ranges, South Australia, and its association with koala retrovirus infection.. Australian veterinary journal, 98(5), 200-206.   Scopus8 WoS7 Europe PMC5
  2020	Fabijan, J., Speight, N., Boardman, W., Hemmatzadeh, F., Trott, D. J., & Woolford, L. (2020). Haematological reference intervals of wild southern Australian koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus).. Aust Vet J, 98(5), 207-215.   Scopus3 WoS3 Europe PMC2
  2020	Fabijan, J., Sarker, N., Speight, N., Owen, H., Meers, J., Simmons, G., . . . Trott, D. J. (2020). Pathological Findings in Koala Retrovirus-positive Koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) from Northern and Southern Australia. Journal of Comparative Pathology, 176, 50-66.   Scopus18 WoS17 Europe PMC13
  2020	Speight, N., Gates, M., Scriven, J., Stephenson, T., & Woolford, L. (2020). Symmetric dimethylarginine values in koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) based on oxalate nephrosis status.. Aust Vet J, 98(6), 247-249.  Scopus2 WoS2 Europe PMC1
  2020	Speight, N., Bacci, B., Stent, A., & Whiteley, P. (2020). Histological survey for oxalate nephrosis in Victorian koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus).. Aust Vet J, 98(9), 467-470.   Scopus3 WoS3 Europe PMC3
  2020	Kasimov, V., Stephenson, T., Speight, N., Chaber, A. L., Boardman, W., Easther, R., & Hemmatzadeh, F. (2020). Identification and Prevalence of Phascolarctid Gammaherpesvirus Types 1 and 2 in South Australian Koala Populations. Viruses, 12(9), 12 pages.   Scopus3 WoS2 Europe PMC3
  2019	Immelman, L., Rich, B., & Speight, K. N. (2019). Changes in antioxidant capacity of koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) based on health status and measurement of the antioxidant ascorbate in eucalypt leaves. Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine, 50(4), 861-867.
  2019	Speight, N., Colella, D., Boardman, W., Taggart, D. A., Haynes, J. I., & Breed, W. G. (2019). Seasonal variation in occurrence of oxalate nephrosis in South Australian koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus). Australian Mammalogy, 41(1), 92-98.   Scopus5 WoS5
  2019	Scopus23 WoS19 Europe PMC12
  2019	Speight, K. N., Houston-Francis, M., Mohammadi Dehcheshmeh, M., Ebrahimie, E., Saputra, S., & Trott, D. J. (2019). Oxalate-degrading bacteria, including Oxalobacter formigenes, colonise the gastrointestinal tract of healthy koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) and those with oxalate nephrosis. Australian Veterinary Journal, 97(5), 166-170.   Scopus5 WoS5 Europe PMC1
  2019	Taggart, P., Fancourt, B., Fabijan, J., Peacock, D., Speight, K., Caraguel, C. G., & McAllister, M. M. (2019). No evidence of toxoplasma gondii exposure in South Australian Koalas (phascolarctos cinereus). Journal of Parasitology, 105(4), 638-641.   Scopus3 WoS2 Europe PMC1
  2019	Fabijan, J., Miller, D., Olagoke, O., Woolford, L., Boardman, W., Timms, P., . . . Speight, K. N. (2019). Prevalence and clinical significance of koala retrovirus in two South Australian koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) populations. Journal of Medical Microbiology, 68(7), 1072-1080.   Scopus19 WoS18 Europe PMC13
  2019	Sarker, N., Fabijan, J., Seddon, J., Tarlinton, R., Owen, H., Simmons, G., . . . Meers, J. (2019). Genetic diversity of Koala retrovirus env gene subtypes: insights into northern and southern koala populations.. The Journal of general virology, 100(9), 1328-1339.   Scopus19 WoS17 Europe PMC14
  2019	Pettett, L. M., Wilson, G. J., Nicolson, V., Boardman, W., Speight, N., Fabijan, J., . . . Bird, P. S. (2019). Malocclusions in the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus).. Australian veterinary journal, 97(11), 473-481.   Scopus3 WoS2
  2018	Scopus17 WoS16 Europe PMC15
  2018	Scopus23 WoS24 Europe PMC18
  2018	Speight, K. N., Hicks, P., Graham, C., Boardman, W., Breed, W. G., Manthorpe, E., . . . Woolford, L. (2018). Necropsy findings of koalas from the Mount Lofty Ranges population in South Australia. Australian Veterinary Journal, 96(5), 188-192.   Scopus19 WoS15 Europe PMC8
  2017	Scopus19 WoS15 Europe PMC8
  2017	Fabijan, J., Woolford, L., Lathe, S., Simmons, G., Hemmatzadeh, F., Trott, D., & Speight, N. (2017). Lymphoma, Koala Retrovirus Infection and Reproductive Chlamydiosis in a Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus). Journal of Comparative Pathology, 157(2-3), 188-192.   Scopus16 WoS15 Europe PMC11
  2017	Tarlinton, R. E., Legione, A. R., Sarker, N., Fabijan, J., Meers, J., McMichael, L., . . . Emes, R. D. (2017). Differential and defective expression of Koala Retrovirus indicate complexity of host and virus evolution.
  2016	Scopus25 WoS24 Europe PMC14
  2015	Speight, K., Kokkinn, M., & Breed, W. (2015). The gastrointestinal tract of the Australian water rat (Hydromys chrysogaster) – its morphological adaptations to a carnivorous diet. Australian Mammalogy, 38(1), 52-57.  Scopus4 WoS4
  2015	Scopus36 WoS35 Europe PMC30
  2014	Scopus17 WoS15 Europe PMC7
  2014
  2013	Scopus11 WoS10
  2013	Scopus7 WoS8
  2013	Scopus27 WoS26 Europe PMC13
  -	Speight, N. (n.d.). Koala retrovirus infection and disease in South Australian koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) populations. In Proceedings of the Second Koala Retrovirus Workshop, ed. D. E. Alquezar-Planas, D. P. Higgins, C. L. Singleton, and A. D. Greenwood. Technical Reports of the Australian Museum online, 38, 41-43.

• Professional Associations

  Veterinary Surgeon's Board of South Australia (registered veterinarian)

  Wildlife Disease Association (Australasian section)

  South Australian Veterinary Emergency Management

  Australian Mammal Society

  Australian Centre for Evolutionary Biology & Biodiversity

  South Australian Wildlife Health Network

  Australian Wildlife Management Society

   

Entry last updated: Monday, 15 Jul 2024

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