Vaccine Trial Seeks To Solve Chlamydia Epidemic Ravaging Australia’s Koalas

The sexually transmitted disease chlamydia has become so widespread among koalas in Australia that researchers are going to conduct a vaccine trial to curb the spread of the disease.

Around 400 koalas will be vaccinated as part of this research, as the chlamydia epidemic has taken hold of Australia’s koala population. Research indicates that up to 100 percent of some populations are testing positive for the disease.

Koalas are herbivorous marsupials native to Australia and are found in coastal areas of the mainland’s eastern and southern regions, Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia. They are largely sedentary, sleeping up to 20 hours every day. The remaining four hours are, it appears, earmarked for other activities.

“It is a cruel disease that causes debilitating conjunctivitis, bladder infections and at times, infertility,” said Dr. Amber Gillett, Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital veterinarian and coordinator of research, said in a statement on Friday as the trial began. 

“Although many koalas with chlamydia can be treated using traditional antibiotics, some animals cannot be saved due to the severity of their infection,” Dr. Gillett continued. “Having a vaccine that can help prevent both infection and the severity of the disease is a critical element in the species’ conservation management.”

Chlamydia is a sexually-transmitted infection caused by the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis. According to researchers, the bacterial disease can also lead to blindness.

“The koalas will each receive one dose of the vaccine and will be microchipped before being released into the wild,” CNN reported.

“While this vaccination will directly benefit each of the animals, the trial will also have a focus on the protection provided by vaccination,” said Peter Timms, professor of microbiology at the University of the Sunshine Coast, which is leading the trial.

“Although in many cases chlamydia can be treated with antibiotics, the researchers said they hope the vaccine will help improve the survival and reproduction of the animals,” reported Reuters. “Estimates of koala populations vary as they are difficult to count in the wild. A 2016 study ran by University of Queensland, calculated there were around 330,000 koalas left in Australia.”

The trial began on October 15, with Shano the koala being the first patient to receive the immunization.

“To evaluate the vaccine’s efficacy, Timms and his colleagues will assess how many of the 200 vaccinated koalas are hospitalized with chlamydia symptoms over the next 12 months compared with 200 unvaccinated koalas,” the New Scientist reported. 

Timms added that if the vaccine