Australia approves world's first vaccine to protect koalas from chlamydia

 

Australia has approved the world's first vaccine to protect endangered koalas from chlamydia, a disease that has devastated the marsupial population - creatures that have a much shorter pregnancy period than other mammals and whose young are born virtually undeveloped.Australia has approved the world's first vaccine to protect endangered koalas from chlamydia, a disease that has devastated the marsupial population. Developed over 10 years by the University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC), Australia, the vaccine, approved by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority, is a major step towards protecting endangered koalas from chlamydia infection and death, according to a UniSC statement released on Wednesday.

The disease, which is transmitted through reproduction, can cause painful urinary tract infections, infertility, blindness and even death, with infection rates reaching 70 per cent in some cases, the statement said. A UNSC-led study found the vaccine reduced the likelihood of koalas developing chlamydia symptoms during the breeding season and reduced mortality from the disease in wild populations by at least 65 per cent.UniSC microbiology professor Peter Timms said the single-dose vaccine has been approved by the veterinary regulator for use in wildlife hospitals, veterinary clinics and farms. "We knew that a single-dose vaccine, without a booster dose, was the only solution to reduce the rapid and devastating spread of this disease. More than half of all wild koala deaths in Australia are caused by this disease," he said.Until now, antibiotics were the only available treatment for koalas infected with chlamydia, but these can inhibit the koala's ability to digest its only source of food, eucalyptus leaves, leading to starvation and, in some cases, death. They also often fail to prevent future infections, reports Xinhua news agency. According to the statement, a decade of clinical data collected through multiple vaccination trials has confirmed the vaccine's safety and effectiveness.