About This Project

Northern koala populations have declined rapidly in the last two decades and localised extinctions are predicted. Both habitat degradation and chlamydial disease are threats to koala conservation. Like humans and other animals, only some infected koalas develop chlamydial disease and we don't know why. We'll investigate whether habitat quality is a key factor in determining disease progression, and whether a synergistic interaction between these threats is exacerbating declines.

Ask the Scientists

What is the context of this research?

Northern koala populations have declined by up to 80% in recent years due to habitat loss and fragmentation from land clearing, disease and environmental factors like climate change¹. In some declining koala populations disease (mostly chlamydial) is the largest single contributor to mortality². Chlamydia, a significant global pathogen of humans and animals, causes inflammation and fibrosis at mucosal sites resulting in blindness, infertility and death in koalas in severe cases³. However, up to 80% of chlamydial infections don't progress to disease and the factors that determine disease progression are poorly understood⁴. Studies have suggested habitat quality plays a key role but the interaction between these threats is yet to be established⁵.

What is the significance of this project?

As continuing koala habitat degradation and high chlamydial disease prevalence in South East Queensland⁶ threaten localised extinctions, the link between habitat quality and chlamydial disease progression in koalas urgently requires further investigation. We hope that by comparing the prevalence of chlamydial infections and disease between populations we can establish whether habitat quality is a key factor in determining chlamydial disease progression and contribute to a larger body of work on koala chlamydial pathogenesis (as part of my PhD). A better understanding of the relationship between these major threats will improve their control by informing koala conservation management practices, and more broadly, advance chlamydial research across a range of hosts.

What are the goals of the project?

The aim of this project is to investigate the role of habitat quality in chlamydial disease progression in koalas in South East Queensland. The funds will be used to cover costs associated with the collection and analysis of samples from koalas for Chlamydia testing. We can then analyse these results with clinical records from chlamydial disease cases, and cross-reference them with habitat quality at four sites in South East Queensland where koala populations are undergoing longitudinal monitoring. Some samples have already been collected, but we need additional funds to complete this work. The overall aims of this research (and my PhD) are to improve conservation outcomes for this vulnerable, iconic species and further our understanding of chlamydial pathogenesis.