Koala Passive Disease Surveillance Victoria - a collaboration between the Melbourne Veterinary School and DEECA Victoria
The Koala Passive Disease Surveillance Victoria Project
Why is this work needed?
Victorian koalas are faced with a number of challenges, including habitat destruction and degradation, predation by introduced species, being hit by cars and a number of diseases.
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Common diseases of Victorian koalas include, among others, chlamydia, a bacterial disease that causes infertility and urinary tract infections and/or eye disease; Koala Retrovirus, a virus that may predispose animals to other diseases such as leukaemia; sarcoptic mange; and a number of genetic malformations.
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While we know that these diseases exist, our understanding of how common they are, i.e. their prevalence, is limited. Similarly, we don't have a full understanding of the impacts of some of these diseases at the population level, or a good understanding of the most common causes of death in koalas in Victoria.
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Finally, by examining koalas that have died, we are able to screen for new, unknown diseases, thereby alerting us early to problems that need to be managed in koalas, but also to protect other animals and human health. We are also able to collect and archive samples that will help us investigate existing and new diseases in the future.
Who is undertaking this work?
This project is led and coordinated by veterinary researchers and pathologists at the Melbourne Veterinary School; the work is funded by the Victorian Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) as part of the implementation of the Victorian Koala Management Strategy.
