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Ecology and Evolution - 2025 - Sarovich - Dominance of Vaccine‐Specific Chlamydia pecorum ompA Genotypes in Koalas From2.75 MB
Published VersionCC BY V4.0, Open Access
Journal article
Dominance of Vaccine-Specific Chlamydia pecorum ompA Genotypes in Koalas From North-Eastern Australia
Ecology and Evolution, Vol.15(3), pp.1-9
2025
PMID: 40060724
Appears in UniSC Supported Open Access Outputs
Abstract
Chlamydia pecorum is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in koalas and a major contributor to population decline. Due to its crucial role in vaccine development and use as a strain typing tool, multiple studies have investigated the prevalence and diversity of the C. pecorum outer membrane protein A (MOMP), encoded by ompA. This prior work has shown that ompA genotypes vary across geographical regions, with multiple genotypes identified across Eastern Australia. Despite these earlier studies, our understanding of the diversity and distribution of MOMP remains incomplete. Here, we aimed to assess the geographical distribution, diversity, and temporal stability of the C. pecorum ompA across wild koalas infected with Chlamydia in north-eastern Australia. Full-length ompA sequences were generated from 226 samples collected from 173 unique animals from multiple koala populations over a 4-year time span. C. pecorum ompA genotypes F and G were the most common and were identified across all geographical regions. Genotype A was the next most common but mostly restricted to the South Brisbane region. In addition to two novel genotypes, rare genotypes, including livestock-associated types E58 and L1, and koala-associated H and I were sporadically identified. Comparison with historical ompA genotypes showed that the distribution of genotypes has remained stable over the past decade, suggesting limited selective pressure despite ongoing vaccination trials and management programmes. The stability of genotypes coupled with the identification of novel and livestock-associated genotypes underscores the importance of continued surveillance to inform future vaccine development and conservation strategies for koalas.
Details
- Title
- Dominance of Vaccine-Specific Chlamydia pecorum ompA Genotypes in Koalas From North-Eastern Australia
- Authors
- Derek S Sarovich (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Centre for BioinnovationMartina Jelocnik - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Centre for BioinnovationPraphaporn Stewart - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Centre for BioinnovationNina M Pollak - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Centre for BioinnovationJessie S F Wong - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Centre for BioinnovationCharlotte Kunesh - Princeton UniversityChioma Ojiako - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Centre for BioinnovationJon Hanger - Endeavour Veterinary Ecology Pty LtdAmber Gillett - Australia ZooLudovica Valenza - Australia ZooTimothy Portas - RSPCA-QLDJodie Wakeman - Friends of the KoalaPeter Timms - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Centre for BioinnovationSamuel Phillips - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Centre for Bioinnovation
- Publication details
- Ecology and Evolution, Vol.15(3), pp.1-9
- Publisher
- John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
- Date published
- 2025
- DOI
- 10.1002/ece3.70973
- ISSN
- 2045-7758; 2045-7758
- PMID
- 40060724
- Copyright note
- © 2025 The Author(s). Ecology and Evolution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
- Data Availability
- All data generated or analysed during this study are openly accessible and included as Supporting Information. Metadata are provided alongside each dataset to ensure transparency and reusability, following FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable) principles.
- Grant note
- This project was financially supported by the Australian Federal Government Saving Koalas Fund, Queensland Government (Community Sustainability Action Grant) and the Ceva Wildlife Research Fund.
- Organisation Unit
- School of Science, Technology and Engineering; Centre for Bioinnovation
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 991112048502621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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