Blinky Bill has been thrown a lifeline with a new vaccine to combat chlamydia.
Scientists at the University of the Sunshine Coast have spent five years working on the vaccine for the sexually transmitted disease which is devastating koala populations.
Chlamydia, also known as "wet bottom" or "dirty tail", causes blindness and infertility in koalas.
The breakthrough involved a successful field trial involving wild koalas in the Moreton Bay region, north of Brisbane.
Sixty koalas were captured, tagged and monitored, with 30 animals receiving the vaccine and 30 remaining unvaccinated as a control group.
USC microbiologist Professor Peter Timms said the vaccine decreased chlamydia infection levels in the koalas who received the dose.
"This large trial has confirmed that the vaccine is safe to give to not only captive koalas, but also koalas in the wild," he said.
The trial will extend for at least another year.
"We hope to specifically show a positive effect of the vaccine on disease, not just infection, as well as female reproductive rates," he said.
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