In the future, Koalas should better be protected from one of its greatest threats: The Australian authority for pesticides and veterinary medicine has for the first time approved a vaccine against chlamydia in the bag animals for nationwide use. It was developed by the University of the Sunshine Coast (Unisc) after more than ten years of research.
Chlamydia are primarily sexually transmitted bacteria. Infection often runs without symptoms in humans, but untreated can lead to severe consequential damage such as infertility and inflammation of the reproductive organs. In Koalas, the bacteria mostly have devastating effects: the animals suffer from painful urinary tract infections, blindness, infertility – right down to death. The transfer from mother to young animal is also possible.
Just one piks
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The vaccin can make a decisive difference, the Australian broadcast quoted ABC Peter Timms, microbiology professor at Unisc. “Because today there are fewer koalas than yesterday.” Particularly practical: the new version works with just one dose. “Because with a koala you have no second chance to capture it,” emphasized the expert.
The disease is one of the main reasons why the animals in parts of Australia have been officially classified as “endangered” since 2022. In addition to chlamydia, traffic accidents, attacks by dogs and the loss of habitat are also massive to the iconic animals.
How does the vaccine work?
The vaccine trains the Koala’s immune system to recognize and combat chlamydia. According to the researchers, he can reduce the risk of infection, stop the course of the disease and, in some cases, even reverse the symptoms. In the largest field studies with wild populations so far, the vaccine significantly reduced the likelihood of a disease – and reduced mortality in wild populations by up to 65 percent, as the researchers report.
Coala cuddling forbidden-new rules in Down-UNER
Veterinarians like Julien Grosmaire who have treated sick animals for years are happy about the breakthrough. “Some Koalas come to us blindly because of a conjunctivitis or very emaciated because they find no food,” he told the ABC. Other animals would have bladder infections, scalded skin and ulcers because the urine burns their skin. “It is quite traumatic to see Koalas so sick, and sometimes you can’t help them,” said the veterinarian.
“Mile stone for Australian icon”
Now it is important to use the vaccine quickly in the event of endangered populations: “We need support to bring the vaccine from research to reality,” emphasized Timms. By the end of 2026, the researchers hope to start the first major vaccination programs in the states of Queensland and New South Wales. “This is a milestone for the protection of our Australian icons,” emphasized local politician Ariana Doolan.
Koalas – or “Phascolarctos Cinereus” – are endemic in Down Under. They sleep in trees most of the day and feed exclusively on eucalyptus leaves. According to the Australian Koala Foundation, there are probably a maximum of 60,000 koalas in the wild. A dramatic decline compared to the millions of copies that still populated Australia at the beginning of the last century.
