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I am using the spelling in the ProMed article, but wonder if the "I" in KIDS should stand for "Immuno" as opposed to "Immune".
Archive Number 20091217.4261
Published Date 17-DEC-2009
Subject PRO/AH> Chlamydiosis, koalas - Australia (04): KIDS
CHLAMYDIOSIS, KOALAS - AUSTRALIA (04): KOALA IMMUNE DEFICIENCY SYNDROME
************************************************** *********************
A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>
Date: Mon 14 Dec 2009
Source: CNN International [edited]
<http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/12/13/australia.koalas/>
On the operating table lies a sick koala. He's just been brought in by a
driver who found the animal sitting in the middle of a busy road.
Veterinarian Claude Lacasse determines the koala has not been hit by a car
but she immediately detects one serious problem facing many of the
marsupials: chlamydia [infection], a disease which can lead to a very slow
and painful death for koalas living in the wild.
Koalas generate almost USD 1 billion for the Australian economy, thanks to
tourists who come to see this national icon. But these cuddly creatures are
under serious threat from infectious disease and habitat loss and some
scientists believe they are facing extinction. "Extinction is inevitable in
some areas," according to Dr Jon Hanger, a veterinary scientist at
Australia Zoo's Wildlife Hospital. "I certainly hope we don't see it across
Australia. But if we don't take the decline seriously and pick up on the
warning signs now it's certainly a risk."
A recent report by the Australian Koala Foundation backs up those beliefs.
It claims the national population has dropped from 100 000 to fewer than 43
000 in the past 6 years and if nothing is done to stop the decline, koalas
could be extinct within 30 years. "I can promise you after being on
Government committees for years and lobbying minister after minister, I see
nothing in our country being done to protect koalas," said Australia Koala
Foundation president Deborah Tabart. "If the Government had grasped this
problem 10 years ago, things would be so different. Instead they're on the
brink of extinction -- I can promise you that."
Back at the hospital, at least a dozen koalas are in intensive care.
Outside, in open-air enclosures, many more are recuperating from disease,
dog attacks, and encounters with cars. At least 700 koalas are brought
there every year for treatment. The majority has chlamydia infection, a
disease which attacks their eyes and bladder. Most would die in the wild
but at the Wildlife Hospital they receive a 2 month course of antibiotics
and are then returned to their natural habitat -- generally within a
kilometre of where they were found.
I was lucky enough to get up close and personal with one of the koalas,
recuperating at the Australian Wildlife Hospital. The zoo keepers had named
him Tullie, a 7 year old who was recovering after being hit by a car. He
sat in the fork of a tree, surrounded by eucalyptus leaves in one of the
outdoor enclosures. The keeper described him as a real "softie" while she
gave Tullie his medication. I stood next to Tullie and patted him. He
reached out his paw and touched my hand. The pads of his paw were soft and
despite his sharp claws used to climb trees, he was so gentle. He held my
hand for a few seconds and did this repeatedly while my piece was filmed
for the news story we were shooting. His nose had deep scratches from the
accident and he was also nursing some internal injuries. I was amazed at
how peaceful and docile this animal was, even though he was from the wild.
Besides chlamydial disease, another disease is plaguing these marsupials --
and there is no vaccine or cure and it's spreading rapidly. Koala AIDS or
KIDS (koala immune deficiency syndrome) is similar to AIDS in humans. The
immune system of the animals is weakened and they are made susceptible to
cancer and other deadly infections.
The hospital's head veterinary scientist, Dr Jon Hanger, discovered the
retrovirus causing the condition and says it's just as severe as AIDS in
humans but affects koalas more quickly. "It's knocking off a large
proportion of koalas that come into this hospital and that means a large
number in the bush are dying from it too."
The disease is spread by koalas coming into contact with each other. Hanger
believes most of the animals carry the virus, but only some are predisposed
to it becoming full-blown KIDS. "There is no vaccine available now and may
never be, but what it's saying to us is that we need to be very careful
about the way we manage the population. We have to stop destroying habitat
and fragmenting it and we've got to address all the causes of death."
Tabart agrees and says the key factor in the decline of the koala
population is loss of habitat. Land clearing, urbanization, and the removal
of eucalyptus forests are causing koalas to lose their homes and making
them more prone to encounters with cars and dog attacks. Her slogan "No
Tree, No Me," is something she is telling world leaders at the climate
change conference in Copenhagen, where she is highlighting this problem as
well as talking about how koalas can be part of the solution to lower
carbon emissions in Australia through the preservation of their forests.
Her research shows it would take trillions of saplings planted across a
land mass 3 times the size of Australia to replace the carbon stored in the
koala forests on the east coast of Australia if they were destroyed by fire
or deforestation. "Without these trees, there will be no koalas. So once
again, the beloved koala has the answer to Australia's future," she said.
[byline: Anna Coren]
--
communicated by:
HealthMap Alerts via ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>
[Apparently the retroviruses affecting koala were being researched as early
as 1995, but it appears that little attention was given to this brewing
tragedy. Readers are strongly encouraged to read the previous ProMED-mail
posts on chlamydiosis listed below.
Australia can be found at <http://healthmap.org/r/010O>. - Mod.TG]
Archive Number 20091217.4261
Published Date 17-DEC-2009
Subject PRO/AH> Chlamydiosis, koalas - Australia (04): KIDS
CHLAMYDIOSIS, KOALAS - AUSTRALIA (04): KOALA IMMUNE DEFICIENCY SYNDROME
************************************************** *********************
A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>
Date: Mon 14 Dec 2009
Source: CNN International [edited]
<http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/asiapcf/12/13/australia.koalas/>
On the operating table lies a sick koala. He's just been brought in by a
driver who found the animal sitting in the middle of a busy road.
Veterinarian Claude Lacasse determines the koala has not been hit by a car
but she immediately detects one serious problem facing many of the
marsupials: chlamydia [infection], a disease which can lead to a very slow
and painful death for koalas living in the wild.
Koalas generate almost USD 1 billion for the Australian economy, thanks to
tourists who come to see this national icon. But these cuddly creatures are
under serious threat from infectious disease and habitat loss and some
scientists believe they are facing extinction. "Extinction is inevitable in
some areas," according to Dr Jon Hanger, a veterinary scientist at
Australia Zoo's Wildlife Hospital. "I certainly hope we don't see it across
Australia. But if we don't take the decline seriously and pick up on the
warning signs now it's certainly a risk."
A recent report by the Australian Koala Foundation backs up those beliefs.
It claims the national population has dropped from 100 000 to fewer than 43
000 in the past 6 years and if nothing is done to stop the decline, koalas
could be extinct within 30 years. "I can promise you after being on
Government committees for years and lobbying minister after minister, I see
nothing in our country being done to protect koalas," said Australia Koala
Foundation president Deborah Tabart. "If the Government had grasped this
problem 10 years ago, things would be so different. Instead they're on the
brink of extinction -- I can promise you that."
Back at the hospital, at least a dozen koalas are in intensive care.
Outside, in open-air enclosures, many more are recuperating from disease,
dog attacks, and encounters with cars. At least 700 koalas are brought
there every year for treatment. The majority has chlamydia infection, a
disease which attacks their eyes and bladder. Most would die in the wild
but at the Wildlife Hospital they receive a 2 month course of antibiotics
and are then returned to their natural habitat -- generally within a
kilometre of where they were found.
I was lucky enough to get up close and personal with one of the koalas,
recuperating at the Australian Wildlife Hospital. The zoo keepers had named
him Tullie, a 7 year old who was recovering after being hit by a car. He
sat in the fork of a tree, surrounded by eucalyptus leaves in one of the
outdoor enclosures. The keeper described him as a real "softie" while she
gave Tullie his medication. I stood next to Tullie and patted him. He
reached out his paw and touched my hand. The pads of his paw were soft and
despite his sharp claws used to climb trees, he was so gentle. He held my
hand for a few seconds and did this repeatedly while my piece was filmed
for the news story we were shooting. His nose had deep scratches from the
accident and he was also nursing some internal injuries. I was amazed at
how peaceful and docile this animal was, even though he was from the wild.
Besides chlamydial disease, another disease is plaguing these marsupials --
and there is no vaccine or cure and it's spreading rapidly. Koala AIDS or
KIDS (koala immune deficiency syndrome) is similar to AIDS in humans. The
immune system of the animals is weakened and they are made susceptible to
cancer and other deadly infections.
The hospital's head veterinary scientist, Dr Jon Hanger, discovered the
retrovirus causing the condition and says it's just as severe as AIDS in
humans but affects koalas more quickly. "It's knocking off a large
proportion of koalas that come into this hospital and that means a large
number in the bush are dying from it too."
The disease is spread by koalas coming into contact with each other. Hanger
believes most of the animals carry the virus, but only some are predisposed
to it becoming full-blown KIDS. "There is no vaccine available now and may
never be, but what it's saying to us is that we need to be very careful
about the way we manage the population. We have to stop destroying habitat
and fragmenting it and we've got to address all the causes of death."
Tabart agrees and says the key factor in the decline of the koala
population is loss of habitat. Land clearing, urbanization, and the removal
of eucalyptus forests are causing koalas to lose their homes and making
them more prone to encounters with cars and dog attacks. Her slogan "No
Tree, No Me," is something she is telling world leaders at the climate
change conference in Copenhagen, where she is highlighting this problem as
well as talking about how koalas can be part of the solution to lower
carbon emissions in Australia through the preservation of their forests.
Her research shows it would take trillions of saplings planted across a
land mass 3 times the size of Australia to replace the carbon stored in the
koala forests on the east coast of Australia if they were destroyed by fire
or deforestation. "Without these trees, there will be no koalas. So once
again, the beloved koala has the answer to Australia's future," she said.
[byline: Anna Coren]
--
communicated by:
HealthMap Alerts via ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>
[Apparently the retroviruses affecting koala were being researched as early
as 1995, but it appears that little attention was given to this brewing
tragedy. Readers are strongly encouraged to read the previous ProMED-mail
posts on chlamydiosis listed below.
Australia can be found at <http://healthmap.org/r/010O>. - Mod.TG]