Could a chlamydia vaccine save Australia's koalas from extinction? Experts say it's complicated

By&nbspRod McGuirk&nbspwith&nbspAP

Published connected 12/09/2025 - 10:10 GMT+2 •Updated 10:19

A regulator has approved a world-first vaccine to protect koalas from chlamydia infections, which are causing infertility and decease successful nan iconic autochthonal type that is listed arsenic endangered successful parts of Australia.

The single-dose vaccine was developed by nan University of nan Sunshine Coast successful Queensland, pursuing much than a decade of investigation led by Professor of Microbiology Peter Timms.

The investigation showed nan vaccine reduced nan likelihood of koalas processing symptoms of chlamydia during breeding property and decreased mortality from nan illness successful chaotic populations by astatine slightest 65 per cent.

The caller support by Australia’s veterinary medicine regulator intends nan vaccine tin now beryllium utilized successful wildlife hospitals, veterinary clinics and successful nan section to protect nan nation’s astir at-risk koalas, Timms said connected Wednesday.

“We knew a single-dose vaccine, pinch nary request for a booster, was nan reply to reducing nan rapid, devastating dispersed of this disease, which accounts for arsenic overmuch arsenic half of koala deaths crossed each chaotic populations successful Australia,” Timms said successful a statement.

“Some individual colonies are edging person to section extinction each day, peculiarly successful southeast Queensland and New South Wales, wherever infection rates wrong populations are often astir 50 per cent and successful immoderate cases tin scope arsenic precocious arsenic 70 per cent,” Timms added.

Is chlamydia really nan problem for koalas?

Deborah Tabart, chair of nan conservation kindness Australian Koala Foundation, said resources being spent connected vaccinating koalas should beryllium redirected to redeeming koala habitat.

“At nan consequence of sounding flippant, really tin anyone beryllium truthful illusion arsenic to deliberation that you tin vaccinate 100,000 animals? It’s conscionable ridiculous,” Tabart said connected Friday.

Tabart’s instauration estimates location are less than 100,000 koalas successful nan wild. The government-backed National Koala Monitoring Program estimated past twelvemonth that location were betwixt 224,000 and 524,000 koalas.

“I judge that chlamydia is an rumor for koalas, but I besides want group to understand that they’re sick because they haven’t sewage immoderate habitat,” Tabart said.

The Queensland Conservation Council, an umbrella organisation for much than 50 biology groups crossed nan state, welcomed nan vaccine. But nan council's director, Dave Copeman, echoed Tabart’s attraction connected preserving koala habitat.

“It’s really bully news. Chlamydia is one of nan cardinal stresses that has been putting unit connected koala populations,” Copeman said.

“Koalas were astatine consequence earlier chlamydia outbreaks, and they will stay astatine consequence moreover if we negociate chlamydia perfectly, because we support connected destroying their habitat,” he added.

How could a vaccine thief Australia's koalas?

Koalas are listed arsenic an endangered species successful nan states of Queensland and New South Wales and successful nan Australian Capital Territory, pinch residence nonaccomplishment owed to wildfires and municipality description arsenic nan awesome threats. Chlamydia tin origin urinary tract infections, infertility, blindness and death.

Treatment pinch antibiotics tin disrupt an infected koala’s expertise to digest eucalyptus leaves, its sole nutrient source, starring to starvation, nan assemblage said successful a statement.

The investigation has been supported by nan federal, New South Wales and Queensland governments.

Federal Environment Minister Murray Watt said his authorities had contributed to nan vaccine’s improvement done a 76 cardinal Australian dollar (€43 million) Saving Koalas Fund.

“We cognize that koalas request thief to conflict diseases for illustration chlamydia. It’s a wide threat impacting their reproductive wellness and causing infertility,” Watt said successful a statement.

Koalas are iconic Australian marsupials, for illustration wombats and kangaroos. They walk astir of their clip eating and sleeping successful eucalyptus trees, and their paws person 2 opposing thumbs to thief them grasp and climb up character trunks.

Australia’s chaotic koala populations person declined steeply successful nan past 2 decades.

Facing compounded threats from disease, residence loss, ambiance alteration and roadworthy collisions, koalas could go extinct by 2050, according to a 2020 appraisal from nan New South Wales government.