Australia approves chlamydia vaccine for koalas : NPR
A Koala and Joey climb a tree in the bush located near the center of Brisbane on December 14, 2024.
David Gray / AFP via Getty Images
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David Gray / AFP via Getty Images
A vaccine has been approved to help protect koalas against chlamydia, a measure that researchers are praised as a first world in the fight against disease which is a main cause of death for beloved marsupials.
Researchers from the University of Sunshine Coast (United) in Australia said on Wednesday that it took more than 10 years to develop a single dose vaccine that does not require booster who, in hope, will help “reduce the rapid and devastating spread of this disease”.
“Some individual colonies are getting closer to local extinction every day, in particular in the south-east of Queensland and New South Wales, where the infection rates within the populations are often about 50% and, in some cases, can reach 70%,” said Peter Timms, professor of microbiology at the university who led the research team, in a press release.
Chlamydia in koalas can cause blindness and lead them to hunger death because they cannot locate the trees to climb for food, according to Koala Conservation Australia. It can also cause infertility and damage the bladder of a koala to the point where the inner wall is inflamed and the marsupial goes from blood, said the organization.
The disease occurs in the Koalas several ways, including by mating, infected discharges and at birth. Koalas babies, known as Joeys, can also catch chlamydia by eating PAP, a substance produced by a mother similar to the excrement, if their mother is infected.
Antibiotics have been used to treat the disease, but it is not always effective and does not prevent future infections, according to the university. Antibiotics can also lead to gastrointestinal side effects which could hinder the ability of koalas to digest eucalyptus leaves, which are the main source of animal food. Depending on the severity of chlamydia and if it has progressed too far, euthanasia can be a single option.
This is why scientists are optimistic about the vaccine.
Sam Phillips, a principal researcher at UNISC, said the vaccine had been tested on hundreds of wild koalas and captivity Koalas.
“It is based on the main protein of the external membrane (MOMP) of Chlamydia Pecorum, and offers three levels of protection – reducing infections, preventing progression to clinical diseases and, in some cases, reversing existing symptoms,” Phillips said in a press release.
The study by Phillips which published last year revealed that the vaccine reduced the signs of Chlamydia during the age of reproduction of a koala and a decrease in the death of the disease by 64%.
The University said the vaccine had been approved for production and generalized use by Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA).
The agency told NPR that it had approved a permit authorizing the use of the vaccine in Koalas in June which takes place until June 2027.
