Australia OKS vaccine against chlamydia to protect koalas

A regulator has approved a world’s-first vaccine to protect koalas from chlamydia infections, which are causing infertility and death in the beloved native species that is listed as endangered in parts of Australia.

- By Rop McGuirk

DARREN ENGLAND AAP Image

JULIAN GROSMAIRE, a veterinarian in Australia, treats a koala for chlamydia.

The single-dose vaccine was developed by the University of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland state after more than a decade ofresearch led by microbiology professor Peter Timms.

The research showed the vaccine reduced the likelihood of koalas developing symptoms of chlamydia during breeding age and decreased mortality from the disease in wild populations by at least 65%.

The recent approval by Australia’s veterinary medicine regulator means the vaccine can now be used in wildlife hospitals, veterinary clinics and in the field to protect the nation’s most at-risk koalas, Timms said Sept. 10.

“We knew a single-dose vaccine — withno need for a booster — was the answer to reducing the rapid, devastating spread of this disease, which accounts for as much as half ofkoala deaths across all wild populations in Australia,” Timms said ina statement.