Koala Treated For Chlamydia Returns To The Wild

Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital announced the release of their koala patient back into the wild following two years of treatment. Hume, the Koala, has gone home to the wilderness after suffering from chlamydia.

Hume became a patient of the hospital for two years as he battled chlamydia. While this type of illness is commonly seen among koalas, Claude Lacasse, Hume’s attending veterinarian and veterinary services manager at Australian Zoo Wildlife Hospital, said that Hume’s condition was the first case that she had seen, reports Brisbane Times.

Hume initially came to the hospital suffering from cystitis secondary to chlamydia, but according to Lacasse, he also had fungal infections that vets have not seen before. She said that the vets have treated Hume with several kinds of treatments just to get his condition to improve, but none worked and the infection would return. "I did some research and managed to find an anti-fungal, which once we applied to Hume, took three months to clear his infection," said Lacasse.

Sunshine Coast Daily reports that the marsupial needed treatment that would cost around $20,000. The funding came from donations made to Wildlife Warriors, a conservation organisation sponsored by Australia Zoo.

Chlamydia is a common type of sexually transmitted disease in humans, but a different strain of bacteria infects koalas, according to a BBC report. Koalas naturally harbour the organism in their healthy bodies. The Australian Koala Foundation states that chlamydia may serve as an “inbuilt control mechanism” that helps limit koala population and to ensure only the strongest of them will survive to reproduce.

However, chlamydia in koalas may also cause illness, especially when the animals get stressed. For instance, habitat loss can be a stressor that results in koalas having to face dangers like road accidents, animal attacks and food scarcity.

Lacasse expressed her delight over Hume's release and seeing the koala go back to the wild is "rewarding' as she described. "It was well worth the time and research to find something that would treat Hume's infection long-term, as it now means we know where to start if another patient comes to us with the same disease," she said.

The Minister for Environment and Heritage Protection Services was impressed by the zoo's effort to save koalas. The minister for the agency, Stephen Miles, said that the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection supports the koala rehabilitation facility in Australia Zoo by providing a 12-month funding of $5,000.

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