The population of Australian koalas looking like funny bear cubs is declining significantly, and experts say one of the reasons is the epidemic of chlamydia, a sexually transmitted disease that is rapidly spreading among these marsupials.
Therefore, an unusual clinical experiment began in Australia: about 200 koalas living in the wild were injected with a new vaccine that could prevent infection with chlamydia. The vaccinated koalas will be implanted with microchips, after which they will be released. Researchers will be able to track how many vaccinated koalas contracted chlamydia and compare this data with those in a control group of animals that did not receive the vaccine.
Chlamydia can cause serious complications in koalas – conjunctivitis, blindness, infection, and sometimes infertility. The disease is usually sexually transmitted, but can be passed from a female to her young.
The researchers hope that if the experiment with koalas is successful, it will be possible to start developing a similar vaccine for people, among whom chlamydia is one of the most common diseases transmitted through sexual contact.
Newspaper headline:
The era of vaccination
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