In some colonies in eastern Australia, nearly 9 out of 10 koalas are infected with Chlamydia pecorum — a bacterium that leaves them blind, destroys their reproductive system, and kills them. 🐨 Virtually all infected females become infertile in less than a year.
Most disturbing of all: the deadliest strain probably arrived with European livestock in the 19th century. And treating the infection with antibiotics is not simple either — it destroys the gut flora that koalas need to digest eucalyptus leaves, their only food.
But in September 2025, something historic happened: Australia became the first country in the world to approve a vaccine against this disease, developed by the University of Sunshine Coast after more than a decade of research. 💉 In trials with hundreds of wild koalas, the vaccine reduces chlamydia mortality by at least 65%. The Australian government has already allocated the equivalent of about 48 million dollars to the species rescue fund. Kangaroo Island, the only corner of the continent free of the infection, remains a last-line genetic reserve. 🌿