Immunisation of koalas against Chlamydia pecorum results in significant protection against chlamydial disease and mortality.

In 2022, the Australian Government listed the koala as endangered in several states due to habitat destruction, traffic strikes, dog attacks, and Chlamydia pecorum disease. This study evaluates a 10-year assessment of a Major Outer Membrane Protein-based vaccine's effectiveness against chlamydial disease in wild koalas from Southeast Queensland. Over a decade, 680 koalas were tracked, with five vaccine trials involving 165 koalas.

Reduction of and Koala Retrovirus subtype B expression in wild koalas vaccinated with novel peptide and peptide/recombinant protein formulations.

Koalas are an endangered species under threat of extinction from several factors, including infections agents. infection results in morbidity and mortality from ocular and urogenital diseases while Koala Retrovirus (KoRV) infection has been linked to increased rates of cancer and chlamydiosis. Both and KoRV are endemic in many wild Australian koala populations, with limited treatment options available.

LONEPINELLA SP. ISOLATED FROM WOUND INFECTIONS OF KOALAS.

We describe two cases of wound infections of koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus), one wild and one captive, in which Lonepinella-like organisms were involved. The wild adult koala was captured with bite wound injuries, as part of a koala population management program in Queensland, Australia. In both cases, there was evidence of physical trauma causing the initial wound.

Evaluating the genetic consequences of population subdivision as it unfolds and how to best mitigate them: A rare story about koalas.

The genetic consequences of the subdivision of populations are regarded as significant to long-term evolution, and research has shown that the scale and speed at which this is now occurring is critically reducing the adaptive potential of most species which inhabit human-impacted landscapes. Here, we provide a rare and, to our knowledge, the first analysis of this process while it is happening and demonstrate a method of evaluating the effect of mitigation measures such as fauna crossings. We did this by using an extensive genetic data set collected from a koala population which was intensely monitored during the construction of linear transport infrastructure which resulted in the subdivision of their population.

Testing the effectiveness of genetic monitoring using genetic non-invasive sampling.

Effective conservation requires accurate data on population genetic diversity, inbreeding, and genetic structure. Increasingly, scientists are adopting genetic non-invasive sampling (gNIS) as a cost-effective population-wide genetic monitoring approach. gNIS has, however, known limitations which may impact the accuracy of downstream genetic analyses.

The Early Changes in Emergency General Surgery Following Implementation of UK COVID-19 Policy: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Introduction Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has rapidly spread worldwide. On 23rd March 2020, the UK introduced measures in an effort to curb the disease spread. The aim of this study was to analyse the effect of government and Royal College measures on the general surgical take.

The environmental and ecological determinants of elevated Ross River Virus exposure in koalas residing in urban coastal landscapes.

Koala populations in many areas of Australia have declined sharply in response to habitat loss, disease and the effects of climate change. Koalas may face further morbidity from endemic mosquito-borne viruses, but the impact of such viruses is currently unknown. Few seroprevalence studies in the wild exist and little is known of the determinants of exposure.

Koala Retrovirus in Northern Australia Shows a Mixture of Stable Endogenization and Exogenous Lineage Diversification within Fragmented Koala Populations.

The koala population in northern Australia has become increasingly fragmented due to natural and man-made barriers and interventions. This situation has created a unique opportunity to study both endogenous and exogenous koala retrovirus (KoRV). To determine the impact that population isolation has had on KoRV diversity in Queensland, 272 koalas from six fragmented koala populations were profiled for their KoRV provirus across two natural biogeographical barriers (the St Lawrence Gap and the Brisbane Valley Barrier), one man-made geographical barrier (the city of Brisbane) and two translocation events (the single movement of koalas to an island and the repeated movement of koalas into a koala sanctuary).

Capturing Complex Vaccine-Immune-Disease Relationships for Free-Ranging Koalas: Higher Chlamydial Loads Are Associated With Less IL17 Expression and More Chlamydial Disease.

Chlamydial disease is a major factor negatively affecting koala populations. Vaccination is a promising management option that would result in immune-mediated protection against disease. Measuring and assessing vaccine efficacy can be challenging owing to both direct and indirect interactions caused by vaccination.

Koala immunogenetics and chlamydial strain type are more directly involved in chlamydial disease progression in koalas from two south east Queensland koala populations than koala retrovirus subtypes.

Chlamydial disease control is increasingly utilised as a management tool to stabilise declining koala populations, and yet we have a limited understanding of the factors that contribute to disease progression. To examine the impact of host and pathogen genetics, we selected two geographically separated south east Queensland koala populations, differentially affected by chlamydial disease, and analysed koala major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes, circulating strains of Chlamydia pecorum and koala retrovirus (KoRV) subtypes in longitudinally sampled, well-defined clinical groups. We found that koala immunogenetics and chlamydial genotypes differed between the populations.

Inbreeding and disease avoidance in a free-ranging koala population.

Habitat destruction and fragmentation are increasing globally, forcing surviving species into small, isolated populations. Isolated populations typically experience heightened inbreeding risk and associated inbreeding depression and population decline; although individuals in these populations may mitigate these risks through inbreeding avoidance strategies. For koalas, as dietary specialists already under threat in the northern parts of their range, increased habitat fragmentation and associated inbreeding costs are of great conservation concern.

Longitudinal study of wild koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) reveals chlamydial disease progression in two thirds of infected animals.

Chlamydial disease threatens many of Australia's koala populations, and yet our understanding of chlamydial epidemiology and disease dynamics in koalas is limited by a lack of comprehensive, longitudinal population studies. To address this, we utilised longitudinal samples from a large-scale population study of wild koalas in south-east Queensland, to follow chlamydial infections over time and to investigate some of the drivers of disease progression. Our findings show, firstly, that almost two thirds of chlamydial infections progressed to disease, challenging the notion that chlamydial infections in koalas commonly remain chronic and asymptomatic.

Predation by carpet pythons (Morelia spilota) is an important cause of mortality in a free-living koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) population in South East Queensland.

Koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) are experiencing significant declines across the northern part of their range. However, unbiased, population-level estimates of mortality are rarely reported, as it's difficult to quantify causes of mortality robustly in this cryptic species. We aimed to determine the relative importance of carpet python (Morelia spilota) predation in a free-living koala population and describe the characteristic pathological findings during necropsy.

Changes in Endogenous and Exogenous Koala Retrovirus Subtype Expression over Time Reflect Koala Health Outcomes.

Koala retrovirus (KoRV) is unique in that it exists as both an exogenous and actively endogenizing gamma retrovirus of koalas. While nine subtypes of KoRV have been recognized, focused study of these subtypes in koalas over time and with different health outcomes has been lacking. Therefore, in this study, three wild koala cohorts were established and monitored to examine KoRV proviral and expression data from koalas that either remained healthy over time, began healthy before developing chlamydial cystitis, or presented with chlamydial cystitis and were treated with antibiotics.

Automated detection of koalas using low-level aerial surveillance and machine learning.

Effective wildlife management relies on the accurate and precise detection of individual animals. These can be challenging data to collect for many cryptic species, particularly those that live in complex structural environments. This study introduces a new automated method for detection using published object detection algorithms to detect their heat signatures in RPAS-derived thermal imaging.

Developing noninvasive methodologies to assess koala population health through detecting Chlamydia from scats.

Wildlife diseases are a recognized driver of global biodiversity loss, have substantial economic impacts, and are increasingly becoming a threat to human health. Disease surveillance is critical but remains difficult in the wild due to the substantial costs and potential biases associated with most disease detection methods. Noninvasive scat surveys have been proposed as a health monitoring methodology to overcome some of these limitations.

Optimising the short and long-term clinical outcomes for koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) during treatment for chlamydial infection and disease.

Koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) have suffered severe declines in the northern extent of their range due to a variety of threats, including habitat destruction, trauma from cars and dogs, climate change and importantly, disease. The most significant pathogen in koalas is Chlamydia pecorum, which causes inflammation and fibrosis at mucosal sites, resulting in blindness, infertility and death in severe cases. Chlamydia treatment can be problematic in koalas as the response to treatment is often poor in chronic cases and antimicrobial choice is limited.

Chlamydia pecorum gastrointestinal tract infection associations with urogenital tract infections in the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus).

Background: Chlamydia infects multiple sites within hosts, including the gastrointestinal tract (GIT). In certain hosts, gastrointestinal infection is linked to treatment avoidance and self-infection at disease susceptible sites. GIT C.

The relative contribution of causal factors in the transition from infection to clinical chlamydial disease.

Chlamydia is a major bacterial pathogen in humans and animals globally. Yet 80% of infections never progress to clinical disease. Decades of research have generated an interconnected network linking pathogen, host, and environmental factors to disease expression, but the relative importance of these and whether they account for disease progression remains unknown.

Prevalence of Chlamydia pecorum in Juvenile Koalas ( Phascolarctos cinereus) and Evidence for Protection from Infection via Maternal Immunization.

Chlamydia pecorum in koalas ( Phascolarctos cinereus) is considered a sexually transmitted infection. Analysis of samples from koala joeys (<1 yr) suggested that mother-to-young direct transmission was also occurring. Further, evidence suggested that joeys from vaccinated mothers were less likely to contract infections than joeys with unvaccinated mothers.

Epidemiology of chlamydial infection and disease in a free-ranging koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) population.

Chlamydial disease continues to be one of the main factors threatening the long-term survival of the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus). Despite this, large epidemiological studies of chlamydial infection and disease in wild koala populations are lacking. A better understanding of the prevalence, transmission and pathogenesis is needed to improve control measures, such as the development of vaccines.

Assessment of florfenicol as a possible treatment for chlamydiosis in koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus).

Objective: Because of limited availability of chloramphenicol to veterinary suppliers, a preliminary study was performed to predict whether an analogue, florfenicol, is an efficacious treatment for chlamydiosis in koalas.

Methods: Florfenicol was administered to koalas with naturally occurring chlamydiosis at 20 mg/kg SC (n = 3) and at 5 mg/kg (n = 3) and 10 mg/kg (n = 3) IV. The estimated areas under the plasma concentration versus time curves (AUC) were compared with the minimum inhibitory concentration to inhibit Chlamydia pecorum.

Microbiota composition of the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) ocular and urogenital sites, and their association with Chlamydia infection and disease.

Disease caused by Chlamydia pecorum is characterised by ocular and urogenital infections that can lead to blindness and infertility in koalas. However, koalas that are infected with C. pecorum do not always progress to disease.

Immunization of a wild koala population with a recombinant Chlamydia pecorum Major Outer Membrane Protein (MOMP) or Polymorphic Membrane Protein (PMP) based vaccine: New insights into immune response, protection and clearance.

We assessed the effects of two different single-dose anti-Chlamydia pecorum (C. pecorum) vaccines (containing either Major Outer Membrane Protein (3MOMP) or Polymorphic Membrane Protein (Pmp) as antigens) on the immune response of a group of wild koalas. Both vaccines elicited a systemic humoral response as seen by the production of anti-chlamydial IgG antibodies in more than 90% of vaccinated koalas.