Australia approves world's first chlamydia vaccine for koalas

(NewsNation) — A first-of-its-kind chlamydia vaccine has hit the market, and it's not for humans.

Australian researchers developed the vaccine for koalas, which are at risk of infertility and death due to widespread chlamydia infections. The disease accounts for nearly half of wild koala deaths in Australia, according to lead researcher Peter Timms.

“We knew a single-dose vaccine — with no need for a booster — was the answer to reducing the rapid, devastating spread of this disease," Timms, a microbiology professor, said in a press release.

In test trials, the vaccine decreased mortality by at least 65% and reduced the likelihood of koalas developing chlamydia symptoms during breeding age.

The animals, native to Australia, are classified as endangered in some parts of the country. Wild populations have declined over the last two decades, and they could become extinct by 2050, according to a 2020 assessment from the New South Wales government.

The research, led by the University of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, took more than a decade, and the vaccine has been approved for use in wildlife hospitals and veterinary clinics.