Koala Conservation Australia: Behind the Scenes of Our Koala Research Project

The Clinical Investigation of the Efficacy of Diagnosis and Treatment against Chlamydiosis in Koalas

Koala Conservation Australia (KCA) is incredibly lucky to have an incredible array of talented, knowledgeable staff and volunteers. One of these is KCA Vet – Astrid Van Aggelen.

In 2023 Astrid was fortunate to win grant funding from WIRES and IFAW in order to carry out research on Chlamydiosis in Koalas, vital work in our efforts to understand this sadly common condition, another tool in our tool box in our efforts to save koalas from extinction. The grant received from IFAW allowed Astrid to purchase equipment used, amongst other things, for this research project, while the grant from WIRES allowed for the purchase of all consumables to support the project.

This clinical research program is making significant strides in its ongoing conservation efforts. 

Behind the Scenes of Our Koala Research Project

As part of our ongoing efforts to support koala conservation, we're diving deeper into understanding the impact of chlamydiosis, a serious disease affecting these beloved marsupials.

Recently, we've been working with post-mortem samples from koalas that sadly succumbed to the disease or didn’t survive treatment. While it's heartbreaking, these samples are helping us answer some critical questions:

• Does Chlamydia spread throughout the body, or does it stay confined to specific organs?
• Is the current treatment truly eliminating the infection—or is it just pushing the bacteria into a temporary dormant state?
• And are our current testing methods accurate enough, or do we need to improve the way we diagnose the disease?

This clinical research is a key piece of the puzzle in protecting koalas for future generations. 

Throughout April and May, our team will be focused on processing these samples to detect Chlamydia DNA and gather vital insights.

Every discovery brings us one step closer to more effective treatments and better outcomes for koalas across Australia.