NEW technology designed to help wildlife handlers in their quest to keep koalas vaccinated against chlamydial infections, has been announced by QUT.
The university’s School of Biomedical Science has led the charge to help the marsupials after being awarded a health grant to develop the technology from the Saving Koalas Fund.
Research leader Professor Ken Beagley said the technology was designed so that koalas wouldn’t need to be recaptured or held for 30 days in order to receive a second immunisation.
Koala chlamydia is a bacterial infection and is one of the leading causes of death for Australian koalas.
QUT researchers successfully tested a two shot vaccine on an isolated wild koala colony in a ‘five-year treat-and-track’ study.
The new booster vaccine will be like other drug eluting implant devices used in humans, slightly larger than a pet microchip.
“This technology will significantly increase our ability to vaccinate wild koalas to protect against chlamydial infections, a major cause of infertility and population decline,” he said.
“We want a vaccine that reduces human interference, letting koalas be koalas.”