Chlamydia threatens wild koalas in Australia, a species listed as endangered by the Federal Government in February 2022, due to habitat loss. This bacterium can have an incidence of 50% of the population of this marsupial, and causes, among other effects, blindness and infertility, which hinders the stability and survival of the population.
Antibiotics are not the solution, because they destroy the koala's intestinal microbiome, on which the animal depends to digest eucalyptus leaves, they explain from the University of the Sunshine Coast (USC) in Queensland (Australia). His best hope is the vaccine developed by this center, which has begun to be inoculated in some animals, as confirmed by the Associated Press (AP). Eucalyptus leaves are an essential part of the diet of lethargic koalas, one of the most international symbols of Australian wildlife.
The scientists' initial goal is to trap, vaccinate and monitor around half the koala population in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales state. With this measure, they calculate that they will be able to protect half of the koala population. The process will continue for the next three months.
The researchers ensure that the vaccine, a single dose, is safe and effective for these animals. In addition, they explain that it has already been previously tested by vaccinating a few hundred marsupials, taken to wildlife rescue centers for other conditions.
Unlike antibiotics, the vaccine, which they have worked on for more than a decade, is intended to provide three types of protection: reduced levels of infection circulating in the population, reduced progression to clinical disease, and even reversal of existing disease in some cases.
In order to vaccinate koalas, scientists have developed a strategy to capture them. As reported by the AP, researchers use binoculars to detect them in eucalyptus trees. Then, they build circular enclosures around the bases of the trees with doors leading to cages. They estimate that after a few hours, though it can be days, the koalas will eventually climb down from one tree to look for tasty leaves in another and wander towards the "harmless" traps.
The future for the iconic koalas looks bleak. In February 2022, the Federal Government declared this species endangered. From the Sunshine Coast University, in the state of Queensland, they estimate that there may be less than one hundred thousand specimens left in all of Australia, the only country where this type of marsupial lives.
According to USC, koala populations have been devastated by habitat loss due to development, traffic accidents, attacks by domestic animals and the mammoth bushfires Australia has suffered in recent years. However, they add that another major threat is chlamydia infection. Infection rates run as high as 70% in populations in Queensland and New South Wales and he believes this could be the ultimate deciding factor in the survival of Australia's endemic animal.
