Koala vaccine breakthrough to combat deadly chlamydia

In a major breakthrough, Australia’s veterinary regulator has approved the first-ever vaccine to protect koalas from chlamydia.

The disease causes infertility, blindness and death, threatening wild populations.

Now, a single-dose vaccine developed by the University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC), delivers a critical step in protecting one of the nation’s most iconic species .

The disease has been responsible for up to half of koala deaths in wild populations, particularly in South East Queensland and New South Wales , where infection rates reach as high as 70 per cent, lead researcher at UniSC’s Centre for Bioinnovation, Peter Timms, said.

“UniSC was determined to do the hard yards to move the project from research to this vital next stage — a high-quality, veterinary-approved p