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Koalas Have a Big Chlamydia Problem—but a New Vaccine Could Save Them - Gizmodo
Oct 19, 2021 41 secs
A new experimental vaccine could put a serious dent in the widespread epidemic of chlamydia that has devastated populations of koalas.

In humans, the sexually transmitted infection can cause genital pain and discharge, though most infected people will experience no symptoms at all.

If not treated with antibiotics, chronic chlamydia can also cause permanent damage to the uterus and infertility, as well as raise the risk of catching other sexually transmitted infections.

Estimates vary, but upwards of 50% of koalas are thought to carry the infection, which is also sexually transmitted or passed down from mothers to newborns.

While there are ongoing efforts to develop better antibiotics for koalas, the holy grail for many scientists has been a chlamydia vaccine, one that could not only protect koalas but other livestock in Australia vulnerable to the same species of bacteria.

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