Koala Retrovirus Workshop conclusion. The future of KoRV research—foundational and applied
Abstract
This manuscript summarizes the conclusion session of the Koala Conservation Workshop: The koala and its retroviruses: implications for sustainability and survival held at San Diego Zoo, April 17–18, 2013. The main goals of the workshop were to determine the current state of foundational research of koala retrovirus (KoRV), the future foundational research needed, to initiate the need for applied research, and to create a collaborative international effort on KoRV that would directly help the sustainability and survival of both captive and free-ranging koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus). The seven areas of future collaborative research of the workshop were determined to be: (1) Does KoRV cause disease in koalas? (2) Does KoRV cause population declines? (3) Are there KoRV-free koalas? (4) What is the importance of the variants of KoRV? (5) Is KoRV or its variants horizontally transmitted? (6) Do koalas develop an immune response to KoRV? (7) What is the role of prevention and therapy in free-ranging and captive koalas?
