Thanks to a $22,000 grant from WIRES Ltd in December 2023, the team has been able to conduct extensive testing to explore whether chlamydial DNA is present in organs beyond the urogenital tract and conjunctiva (the areas typically known to be affected by this disease).
In total, samples from up to 30 different organs and swabs were collected during post-mortem examinations of diseased and non-diseased koalas, as well as those that sadly passed away during treatment.
While the data analysis is still underway, preliminary findings already show that the project has successfully achieved its goals and revealed valuable new insights into how chlamydiosis affects koalas.
This research has also been made possible thanks to IFAW , whose generous $50,000 donation in 2022 enabled us to purchase the qPCR machine essential for this study.
A heartfelt thank you to WIRES, IFAW, and to everyone who continues to donate their time, resources, and care to help protect our precious koalas.
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