In Australia, the koala is currently threatened by chlamydia, a sexually transmitted bacterium.
This disease, which causes infertility but also painful cysts in the reproductive system and can lead to the death of these animals, is indeed spreading at a worrying speed, according to CNN information relayed by Slate
monday
.
Classified as "vulnerable" on the Red List of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the koala could soon be listed as an "endangered" species in Queensland, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory.
Because of this bacteria, koalas could disappear within three generations, according to the president of the Australian Koala Foundation Deborah Tabart.
A vaccine currently being tested to deal with this bacteria
In 2008, the rate of chlamydia in koalas was 10%, compared to 85% in 2021. “The population is no longer viable.
Almost all females infected with chlamydia become infertile within a year, maybe two years at most… Even if they survive, they do not reproduce, ”explained Mark Krockenberger, professor of animal pathology at the University of Sydney.
This spread of the bacteria is linked in particular to the stress experienced by these animals during the fires that ravaged Australia in 2019 and caused the death of more than 60,000 koalas, according to WWF figures.
Faced with this problem, a vaccine is being tested to try to ensure that koalas can continue to reproduce.
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