title: Treatment of Chlamydia-associated ocular disease via a recombinant protein based vaccine in the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus).
abstract: Koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) are affected by debilitating chlamydial disease that can lead to blindness, infertility, and death. The causative agent is the intracellular bacterium Chlamydia pecorum. While antibiotics can be used to treat koala chlamydial infection, they are often ineffective or cause severe dysbiosis to the animal's unique gut flora. Recent work has progressed on the development of a protective vaccine for Chlamydia in the koala. This study demonstrates that the use of a vaccine can have a positive effect in koalas already with clinical signs of ocular disease, suggesting a possible therapeutic effect and an alternative to antibiotic therapy.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Science, Health, Education and Engineering, The University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia. Electronic address: cwaugh@usc.edu.au.
authors.forename: Courtney
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Waugh
authors.affiliation: Keen Street Veterinary Clinic, Lismore, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Ray
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Austin
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Science, Health, Education and Engineering, The University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia. Electronic address: apolking@usc.edu.au.
authors.forename: Adam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Polkinghorne
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Science, Health, Education and Engineering, The University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia. Electronic address: ptimms@usc.edu.au.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Timms
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000276:immunology / Q000494:pharmacology; D001428:Bacterial Vaccines / Q000276:immunology* / Q000494:pharmacology; D002689:Chlamydia / Q000276:immunology*; D002690:Chlamydia Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology / Q000662:veterinary; D015818:Eye Infections, Bacterial / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology / Q000662:veterinary; D048368:Phascolarctidae; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000276:immunology / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D001428:Bacterial Vaccines; D011994:Recombinant Proteins
keywords: Chlamydia pecorum; Koala; Major Outer Membrane Protein; Therapeutic vaccine; Vaccine