Australian koalas are being successfully cured of a life-threatening disease, chlamydia, and released back into the wild, thanks to the help of global animal health company, Ceva Santé Animale.

Between 30 and 50 per cent of the Australian koala population in the wild were suffering from chlamydia. There were fears that the sexually transmitted disease, which causes infertility, blindness and even death, could eventually wipe out the entire koala population.

Ceva Australia had stopped manufacture of chloramphenicol, an older type of antibiotic, when they learned that it was the primary drug used to treat chlamydia in koalas.  Dr. Finola McConaghy, Ceva’s Technical Services Manager, was in contact with fellow veterinarians at the world famous Australia Zoo in Brisbane and offered to manufacture a new batch of the medicine to help combat the problem. Now other animal centres in Australia are treating their own koalas affected by the disease.

Australia Zoo senior vet Amber Gillett says Ceva’s intervention had been vital in tackling the chlamydia problem:

"I can't emphasise enough how vital this drug is for treating chlamydia in koalas. We've tried multiple different drugs, and there is simply nothing as effective as this is. We're eternally grateful for Ceva coming on board and agreeing to manufacture a large batch of this drug for us."

Martin Mitchell, Group Communication Director of Ceva Santé Animale says: “When we learned of this problem we were delighted to react and play our role in safeguarding this iconic marsupial. Ceva is committed to combatting disease in animals to protect their welfare, not only is this the right thing to do, in the end we also help protect ourselves and importantly our environment.” 

>> Download the PDF version: