Dr Damien Higgins of the University of Sydney’s Faculty of Veterinary Science’s Koala Infectious Disease Research Group (KIDReG) visited FOK in early January.  The purpose of the visit was to discuss protocols for a pilot study of the disease status of koalas from the north-eastern part of the Lismore local government area.  Contingent on the success of grant applications, the pilot may, over time, be extended to encompass a wider area of the Northern Rivers.

During his stay Damien provided a progress report to members on the ARC Linkage Project, Prevention and treatment of chlamydiosis and cryptococcosis, the field work for which is being conducted at the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital.

The Project is well in to its second year.  Approximately 35 koalas have been admitted to the treatment trial, the purpose of which is to find a successful regime for treating Chlamydiosis in koalas and to learn more about the disease and how koalas fight it..

Approximately half of all animals examined in relation to the Project over the past year have exhibited signs of chronic infection.  Whilst the figure may not reflect the level of disease of all Port’s koalas, Chlamydial infections are a very significant disease, as they are in our Northern Rivers populations.

The Project is illustrating what we are also learning from our association with the Australian Wildlife Hospital, that the typical wet bottom stain is not always displayed by koalas with signs of past disease such as fluid-filled cysts in the reproductive tract.  The presence of these cysts almost always indicates infertility.  At Port, KIDReG is also using DNA detection techniques (PCR testing) to locate subclinical, or carrier animals. 

Damien is particularly interested in why some animals may carry Chlamydiosis and not develop serious clinical disease – that is what has brought him to our neck of the woods.

FOK and KIDReG have agreed that sampling will be limited to animals already being brought in to care from the study area.  The kits for taking samples have been received and the protocols are in place.

A heartening postscript to the work at Port is that all the testing of wild animals for Cryptococcus over the past year has been negative.  It appears that Port Macquarie koalas only have a low incidence of the difficult to treat fungal disease.