Chlamydia infection is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections among people. Around 100 people worldwide suffer from it. If left untreated, infection can lead to infertility in humans. Australia’s koalas also suffer from the chlamydial bacteria – with often fatal consequences. Chlamydia can cause blindness and painful cysts in the reproductive tract of these cute animals in koalas. These, in turn, can lead to sterility, be fatal and endanger the survival.
In 2010, only around 10 percent of Australia’s koalas were infected with chlamydia, reports CNN. As early as 2015, the number had risen to around 60 percent of the koala population. Around 85 percent of all koalas are now infected, says Mark Krockenberger, professor of veterinary pathology at the University of Sydney.
In areas threatened with extinction
Koalas in Australia are “no longer a viable population” because of their sterility, says Krockenberger. “Pretty much every female infected with chlamydia will become sterile within a year, maybe two years at most. Even if they survive, they will not reproduce. “
Unfortunately, antibiotics cannot be used: they can destroy the delicate intestinal flora of koalas. The animals need these to consume eucalyptus leaves – their main food.
Koalas are threatened with extinction in whole areas of Australia, warns Krockenberger. Australia’s tree-dwelling marsupials are already endangered by the increasing bush fires and the loss of habitat due to deforestation. (kes)