Helping koalas battle disease – Recent advances in Chlamydia and koala retrovirus (KoRV) disease understanding and treatment in koalas

Bonnie L Quigley; Peter Timms

doi:10.1093/femsre/fuaa024

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Helping koalas battle disease – Recent advances in Chlamydia and koala retrovirus (KoRV) disease understanding and treatment in koalas

Journal article

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Helping koalas battle disease – Recent advances in Chlamydia and koala retrovirus (KoRV) disease understanding and treatment in koalas

Bonnie L Quigley and Peter Timms

FEMS Microbiology Reviews, Vol.44(5), pp.583-605

2020

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/femsre/fuaa024

PMCID: PMC8600735

PMID: 32556174

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Abstract

Chlamydia pecorum

koala retrovirus

KoRV

koala

Phascolarctos cinereus

The iconic Australian marsupial, the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus), has suffered dramatic population declines as a result of habitat loss and fragmentation, disease, vehicle collision mortality, dog attacks, bushfires and climate change. In 2012, koalas were officially declared vulnerable by the Australian government and listed as a threatened species. In response, research into diseases affecting koalas has expanded rapidly. The two major pathogens affecting koalas are Chlamydia pecorum, leading to chlamydial disease and koala retrovirus (KoRV). In the last eight years, these pathogens and their diseases have received focused study regarding their sources, genetics, prevalence, disease presentation and transmission. This has led to vast improvements in pathogen detection and treatment, including the ongoing development of vaccines for each as a management and control strategy. This review will summarize and highlight the important advances made in understanding and combating C. pecorum and KoRV in koalas, since they were declared a threatened species. With complementary advances having also been made from the koala genome sequence and in our understanding of the koala immune system, we are primed to make a significant positive impact on koala health into the future.

Details

Title: Helping koalas battle disease – Recent advances in Chlamydia and koala retrovirus (KoRV) disease understanding and treatment in koalas
Authors: Bonnie L Quigley (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, GeneCology Research Centre - Legacy
Peter Timms (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, GeneCology Research Centre - Legacy
Publication details: FEMS Microbiology Reviews, Vol.44(5), pp.583-605
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Date published: 2020
DOI: 10.1093/femsre/fuaa024
PMID: 32556174; PMC8600735
Copyright note: Copyright (C) FEMS 2020. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Organisation Unit: University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; Thompson Institute; Centre for Bioinnovation
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99469907502621
Output Type: Journal article

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