Koala Chlamydia Vaccine Receives Australian Tick of Approval

Chlamydia causes blindness, infertility and death to koalas.

This picture taken on April 6, 2024 shows a native Australian koala being held by a keeper during a show for tourists at Hartley's Crocodile Adventure Park located north of the Queensland city of Cairns in Australia. David Gray/AFP via Getty Images

The Australian federal government has approved a historic single-dose vaccine to protect koalas from chlamydia, a disease threatening the survival of the species.

Chlamydia can cause painful infections, infertility, blindness, and death in koalas.

Infection rates in some populations reach up to 70 percent, with the bacterial disease threatening the survival of koalas in eastern Australia.

The vaccine was developed by researchers at the University of the Sunshine Coast’s Centre for Bioinnovation and has now been registered by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority.

A ‘Huge Achievement’

Environment and Water Minister Murray Watt said the vaccine had been more than a decade in the making.

“Having a koala chlamydia vaccine registered and ready for use is a big stride towards protecting this iconic species,” Watt said.

“We know chlamydia impacts the fertility of wild koala populations and is a threat to their survival. That’s why the Albanese Government is supporting this project.”

The government has also invested in habitat restoration and koala monitoring, with $76 million allocated through its Saving the Koalas Fund. Of that, $749,000 was provided to develop the vaccine.

Queensland’s Role

Queensland’s Liberal state environment minister Andrew Powell said his government had provided early backing to the research.

“Jump forward 10 years and it’s a world-first vaccine developed by our own scientists at the University of the Sunshine Coast,” Powell said in a Facebook post.

Powell said the state government had provided $550,000 to the University of Sunshine Coast research project, and announced further funding for conservation, including $39.6 million to expand protected areas and enhance wildlife hospitals in South East Queensland.

Local Koala Colonies ‘Edging Closer to Extinction’: Professor

University of the Sunshine Coast Peter Timms said some local colonies were “edging closer to local extinction every day,” especially in South East Queensland and New South Wales.

In these areas, he said, infection rates within populations were around 50 percent and in some cases can reach as high as 70 percent.

Timms said the vaccine offered three levels of protection. These include reducing infection, preventing progression to disease, and in some instances, reversing existing symptoms.

“A decade of clinical data, gathered through multiple vaccination trials, confirmed the vaccine’s safety and effectiveness. This includes the largest and longest-ever study of wild koalas,” he said.

“This is a high-quality, veterinary-approved product that can now be used in wildlife hospitals, veterinary clinics, and in the field, to protect the nation’s most at-risk koalas.”

“We knew a single-dose vaccine—with no need for a booster—was the answer to reducing the rapid, devastating spread of this disease.”

UniSC researcher Sam Phillips said the vaccine had been trialled on hundreds of wild koalas.

“It’s based on Chlamydia pecorum’s major outer membrane protein, and offers three levels of protection,” she said.

Partnerships

The project has been supported by the federal and Queensland governments, and the NSW government’s koala research team.

Other partners include the local councils of Gold Coast, Redland, and Moreton Bay.