Australia. A venereal disease is decimating the koala population

Australian koala (Phascolarctos cinereus), one of the most recognizable species of this continent, is currently considered vulnerable to extinction. These marsupials are threatened by many factors – from natural disasters that destroy their native ecosystems to the increasing extent of urbanized areas where they cannot survive. Chlamydiosis is also decimating animal populations, and for several years the number of sick animals has begun to increase at an alarming rate.

Chlamydiosis is a disease caused by bacteria of the genus Chlamydiaspread by contact with the body fluids of an infected individual, often sexually. Although it occurs in many other mammals, its rapid spread in marsupials poses a serious threat to entire populations.

“The number of cases has increased dramatically, even at an exponential rate,” Michael Pyne, a veterinarian at a wildlife clinic in Currumbin, Australia, told the BBC. – There are days when we have to euthanize dozens of koalas whose bodies are completely destroyed.

Chlamydiosis manifests itself differently in different individuals. In some koalas it causes conjunctivitis, and in others it causes infection of the genitals and urinary tract. The ocular form can cause loss of vision, while infection of the urogenital system leads to the formation of giant, painful cysts that prevent animals from functioning normally and reproducing.

“Their reproductive system just stops working,” Pyne explained.

The scale of infection is also disturbing. According to estimates, there are only 50,000 koalas left in the wild, and several hundred are admitted to hospitals every year. According to experts, in the states of Queensland and New South Wales, up to half of the population may be sick. For this reason, there are fears that in some regions these marsupials will become extinct within several decades.

As veterinarians explained, if the infection is detected early enough, treatment is possible, but it may be potentially dangerous for the animals. Antibiotic therapy, destroying bacteria of the genus Chlamydia, it also kills the gut bacteria that allow koalas to digest eucalyptus leaves, their main food source.

In Australia, numerous activities are carried out to save koalas. Scientists monitor wild marsupial populations, catching sick individuals and transporting them to veterinary clinics. Research is being carried out at the Queensland University of Technology to create a vaccine against chlamydia; Scientists from the University of the Sunshine Coast are also working on a similar solution. Both vaccines are in the clinical trial phase.

– Nobody wants to imagine Australia without koalas – said Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek.