By ALEX HARRIS
SCIENTISTS at the University of the Sunshine Coast have announced that they have successfully vaccinated wild koalas against chlamydia, long thought to be one of the biggest threats to the survival of the species.
Female koalas can get reproductive tract disease which might lead to infertility, and large painful cysts that can be fatal. Both male and female koalas can develop eye infections that can result in blindness,
University of the Sunshine Coast microbiologist, professor Peter Timms, says the vaccine was initially tested on captive koalas with good results.
His team then vaccinated 30 wild koalas in the Moreton Bay region with very promising results, with the vaccine halting existing infection and preventing new infection.
“None of our vaccinated animals went from having an infection to getting actual disease,” says Professor Timms.
it may be unrealistic to vaccinate every koala, but Professor Timms says it would make sense to treat the hundreds of animals that enter care centres for whatever reason, before they are released back into the wild.
To date, with the Queensland government policy of euthanising infertile koalas – a policy recently flagged for change by the Newman government – chlamydia has been responsible for about 50 per cent of all koala deaths.
The combination of a change in government policy to reduce euthanisations and a new vaccine against this devastating disease is cause for real excitement. It will end the distortion to the cause of death data, and potentially remove disease as a major factor in the decimation of the remaining koala population.
Leaving in stark relief, the real threat to koalas. Us.
HAVE YOUR SAY: Have you spotted a local koala? Or would you like to see more done to protect our local koala population? Email your thoughts to newsdesk@noosatoday.net.au
