Australia Approves World-First Vaccine to Protect Koalas from Chlamydia

Australia's veterinary medicine regulator has approved a groundbreaking single-dose vaccine developed by the University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC) to protect koalas from chlamydia, a disease responsible for up to half of koala deaths in the wild. Led by Professor Peter Timms, researchers spent over a decade creating this vaccine, which requires no booster and is now authorized for use in wildlife hospitals, veterinary clinics, and the field. Chlamydia causes severe health issues in koalas, including urinary tract infections, infertility, blindness, and death, and antibiotic treatments have been problematic as they interfere with koalas' ability to digest eucalyptus leaves, their sole food source. Infection rates in some wild koala colonies have reached as high as 70%, pushing certain populations in South East Queensland and New South Wales toward local extinction. The vaccine's safety and effectiveness were confirmed through a decade of clinical trials, including the largest and longest study of wild koalas, and it represents a major step toward securing the species' long-term survival. Researchers now aim to secure funding to roll out the vaccine nationally to combat the devastating impact of chlamydia on Australia's iconic marsupials.