Australia approved the world’s first vaccine to save koalas from Chlamydia:
Koala bear (Phascolarctos cinereus) is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia.It is the only extant representative of the family Phascolarctidae and its closest living relatives are the wombats.Koalas are asocial animals, congregating only during the breeding season.They spend most of their time eating and sleeping in eucalyptus trees, and their paws have two opposing thumbs to help them grasp and climb up tree trunks.They can be found in habitats ranging from relatively open forests to woodlands, and in climates ranging from tropical to cool temperate.Koalas are distributed across eastern and southeastern Australia, including northeastern, central, and southeastern Queensland, eastern New South Wales, Victoria as well as southeastern parts of South Australia.Koalas are herbivorous (folivorous) animals, feeding primarily upon the leaves of the eucalyptus tree.Conservation status: IUCN: VulnerableThese species are facing compounded threats from disease, habitat loss, climate change and road collisions.
Chlamydia in koalas. Koalas suffer from both bacterium species Chlamydia pneumonia and Chlamydia pecorum. The disease occurs in koalas multiple ways, including through mating, infected discharges and at birth.It can cause eye infections, blindness, urinary tract problems, and even infertility.Infected koalas often become weak, dehydrated, and more vulnerable to predators and bushfires.In some areas of Australia, up to 70% of wild koalas carry the disease.Chlamydia spreads quickly in koalas because they live in overlapping territories and groom each other.
