Koalas may be best known for their tree-hugging lifestyle and being known as the animal that sleeps the most, but their unique gut bacteria are offering surprising insights into human digestive health.
As part of our series on animals that have shaped medicine, we explore what these marsupials can teach us about the microbiome.
After koalas were introduced to Western Australia in 1938, they started losing weight as they were unable to digest the local eucalyptus plants.
In normal circumstances, koala pups eat their mother’s faeces to acquire the necessary bacteria for processing local eucalyptus. Remembering this important detail, the park keepers hatched an ingenious plan. They collected faeces from koalas living near similar eucalyptus species in other parts of Australia, packaged this poo in acid-resistant capsules, and fed it to the imported koalas.
Sure enough, the microbiomes of the koalas changed, allowing them to digest their new diet.
Decades later, these pioneering ‘faecal transplants’ would be applied to humans in procedures where faeces is transferred from a healthy donor to the colon of a patient to treat severe bacterial infections.
Discover our series on medical innovations rooted in nature's remarkable adaptations...
From ants' pandemic tactics and giraffe-inspired ventilators, to frog-based life-support systems, we explore how the animal kingdom shapes human healthcare.
We also explore midge-like painless injections, crane-derived temperature control, white-blooded fish cold resistance, whale-mimicking heart treatments, chimpanzee-informed grief management, and longevity secrets from naked mole rats. Join us as we uncover how wildlife continues to revolutionise medicine.