90 percent of koalas in Japan have HIV
Most of the koalas at zoos in Japan are infected with koala retrovirus (KoRV), the koala equivalent of HIV:
Kyoto University’s analysis of blood tests conducted on 50 koalas in captivity in Japan — 39 born in northeast Australia and their offspring, and 11 born in southeast Australia and their offspring — showed that all those from the northeast and four originating from the southeast were infected with the virus.
KoRV, which cannot be transmitted to humans, attaches itself to the host’s chromosomes and can induce lymphatic leukemia and infection by weakening the immune system.
Koalas in Japan have shorter life spans than their native Australian counterparts, with many dying from leukemia and other diseases. However, a connection between the virus and the shortened life spans has not been confirmed.
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