A Study on Mycoplasma agalactiae and Chlamydophila abortus in Aborted Ovine Fetuses in Sistan and Baluchestan region, Iran.

Abortion is one of the most important economic issues in sheep flocks. Chlamydophila abortus is an agent of enzootic abortions in sheep. Mycoplasma agalactiae is the main etiological agent of contagious agalactia, which can cause abortion in sheep. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of M. agalactiae and C. abortus among aborted ovine fetuses in Sistan and Baluchestan, Iran. Sheep owners were asked to transfer their aborted fetuses to a nearby veterinary clinic; furthermore, they were taught biosecurity principles. A total of 78 aborted sheep fetuses were collected from all over Sistan region in the autumn of 2015 and winter of 2016. The samples were then transferred in ice to the Anatomy Laboratory of the Veterinary Faculty of Zabol University, Zabol, Iran. The spleen and abomasum contents of the fetuses were sampled under sterile and safe conditions. Polymerase chain reaction was used to detect M. agalactiae and C. abortus. The results showed that 24 (30.8%) cases were infected with M. agalactiae. However, infection with C. abortus was not detected in any fetuses. There was no statistically significant relationship between such independent variables as the location of livestock, history of abortion, fetal gender and age, age and parity of ewe, and fetal infection with M. agalactiae. The high incidence of Mycoplasma contamination in this study may be due to inappropriate biosecurity measures and lack of vaccination against agalactia in sheep herds in Sistan region.

Chlamydia pneumoniae Polioencephalomyelitis and Ganglionitis in Captive Houston Toads (Anaxyrus houstonensis).

Chlamydia pneumoniae is a ubiquitous pathogen causing disease in humans, mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians. Since 2012, C. pneumoniae infection has caused neurologic disease and mortality in a breeding colony of endangered Houston toads (Anaxyrus houstonensis) at the Houston Zoo. The purpose of this report is to present the histopathologic and ultrastructural characteristics of C. pneumoniae infection in Houston toads. Fourteen cases were evaluated by histopathology and 1 case was evaluated by electron microscopy. The major histopathologic finding was necrotizing and histiocytic polioencephalomyelitis and ganglionitis. Bacteria formed intracytoplasmic inclusions within neurons but frequently extended into the surrounding tissue from necrotic cells. Ultrastructural evaluation showed the bacteria formed reticulate and elementary bodies characteristic of Chlamydia spp.

In vitro efficacy of povidone iodine and hydroxyethyl cellulose, alone and in combination, against common feline ocular pathogens.

Infectious ocular disease, such as conjunctivitis, is common in cats and can be caused by several viruses and bacteria, either as a single infection or as co-infections. In this study, povidone-iodine (PVP-I), alone or compounded with hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC), was investigated for its efficacy against these pathogens in vitro. Whilst PVP-I alone was effective at inhibiting feline herpesvirus type 1 (FHV-1), Chlamydia felis, and Mycoplasma felis, PVP-I with HEC exerted a synergistic inhibitory effect against FHV-1 and C. felis. In contrast, only minimal inhibition of feline calicivirus was observed. These results demonstrate that PVP-I, alone and in combination with HEC, is effective against some feline ocular pathogens when tested in cell lines in vitro. In vivo studies investigating the systemic safety, ocular tolerance, and clinical efficacy of this combination in cats would be necessary before it could be recommended as a therapy in affected cats.

Abortion storm induced by the live C. abortus vaccine 1B strain in a vaccinated sheep flock, mimicking a natural wild-type infection.

Chlamydia abortus is responsible for enzootic abortion (known as ovine enzootic abortion (OEA) and enzootic abortion of ewes (EAE)) in both sheep and goats and has major economic implications for the farming industry worldwide. A virulence-attenuated mutant strain of C. abortus (strain 1B) is currently commercially available as a live attenuated vaccine for immunization of sheep and goats in several European countries. Following an abortion storm in a French flock of 200 ewes that occurred two years after vaccination of 36 replacement ewes with the commercial 1B vaccine strain, the vaginal swabs of 3 vaccinated and 7 unvaccinated aborted ewes and 12 of the 13 dead fetuses were found to be positive for C. abortus by real-time PCR. Genotyping of the samples, using vaccine-specific SNP markers, identified all as positive for the vaccine-type strain. The recent vaccination of this flock with the attenuated commercial vaccine strain, the large number of abortion cases observed in ewes irrespective of vaccination status, the high C. abortus load detected in vaginal swabs or abortion tissues and the identification of specific vaccine-type markers in these samples strongly suggest that the 1B strain has been transmitted from vaccinated to naïve animals, thus mimicking a natural wild-type infection.

Chlamydia Serine Protease Inhibitor, targeting HtrA, as a New Treatment for Koala Chlamydia infection.

The koala, an iconic marsupial native to Australia, is a threatened species in many parts of the country. One major factor in the decline is disease caused by infection with Chlamydia. Current therapeutic strategies to treat chlamydiosis in the koala are limited. This study examines the effectiveness of an inhibitor, JO146, which targets the HtrA serine protease for treatment of C. pecorum and C. pneumoniae in vitro and ex vivo with the aim of developing a novel therapeutic for koala Chlamydia infections. Clinical isolates from koalas were examined for their susceptibility to JO146. In vitro studies demonstrated that treatment with JO146 during the mid-replicative phase of C. pecorum or C. pneumoniae infections resulted in a significant loss of infectious progeny. Ex vivo primary koala tissue cultures were used to demonstrate the efficacy of JO146 and the non-toxic nature of this compound on peripheral blood mononuclear cells and primary cell lines established from koala tissues collected at necropsy. Our results suggest that inhibition of the serine protease HtrA could be a novel treatment strategy for chlamydiosis in koalas.

Chlamydiaceae and chlamydial infections in sheep or goats.

Chlamydiae induce a range of pathological syndromes in small ruminants. Abortion is the most common clinical expression of the infection that causes important economic losses and presents a risk to human health, particularly in pregnant women. The present paper gives an overview of chlamydial infections in sheep and goats, focusing specifically on abortion and on recent data brought by cellular and genomic approaches regarding genotyping, virulence of strains, epidemiology, diagnosis, pathogenesis and control of the disease.

Prevalence and characterization of Chlamydia DNA in zoo animals in Japan.

Because many people visit zoos, prevention of zoonoses is important from the standpoint of public health. This study examined the prevalence of Chlamydia among zoo animals in Japan by PCR and characterized these bacteria by performing phylogenetic analyses of the sequences of the variable domain (VD) 2 and VD4 regions of the ompA gene, which encodes the Chlamydia major outer membrane protein. Fecal samples were collected from 1150 zoo animals in five zoos and examined for Chlamydia DNA. Chlamydia psittaci DNA was found in 3.9% of mammals, 7.2% of birds and 8.1% of reptiles. The prevalence of Chlamydia pneumoniae DNA was significantly higher in reptiles (5.8%) than in mammals (0.3%) and birds (0.3%). Phylogenetic analysis of the ompA VD2 region from 18 samples showed that nine were in three different clusters containing C. psittaci strains, six were in a cluster containing C. pneumoniae strains and three each formed a distinct branch. Furthermore, phylogenetic analysis of the ompA VD4 region showed that C. pneumoniae DNAs from reptiles were close to those from human patients. The C. pneumoniae DNAs from the European glass lizard, Emerald tree boa, and Panther chameleon were classified in clusters that were distinct from other strains, suggesting that these reptiles had each been infected with a specific C. pneumoniae genotype. This study showed that diverse Chlamydia strains have been prevalent among a variety of zoo animals.

Detection of Chlamydia pneumoniae in a collection of captive snakes and response to treatment with marbofloxacin.

In a collection of 58 snakes comprising predominantly Eurasian vipers in Switzerland, five snakes died unexpectedly during hibernation from 2009 to 2012. In one snake, organisms resembling chlamydiae were detected by immunohistochemistry in multiple histiocytic granulomas. Real-time quantitative PCR and microarray analysis were used to determine the presence of Chlamydia pneumoniae in tissue samples and cloacal/choanal swabs from snakes in the collection; 8/53 (15.1%) of the remaining snakes were positive. Although one infected snake had suppurative periglossitis, infection with C. pneumoniae did not appear to be associated with specific clinical signs in snakes. Of seven snakes treated with 5 mg/kg marbofloxacin IM once daily, five became PCR negative for C. pneumoniae following treatment, whereas one animal remained positive and one snake was lost to follow-up.

Genomic factors related to tissue tropism in Chlamydia pneumoniae infection.

BACKGROUND: Chlamydia pneumoniae (Cpn) are obligate intracellular bacteria that cause acute infections of the upper and lower respiratory tract and have been implicated in chronic inflammatory diseases. Although of significant clinical relevance, complete genome sequences of only four clinical Cpn strains have been obtained. All of them were isolated from the respiratory tract and shared more than 99% sequence identity. Here we investigate genetic differences on the whole-genome level that are related to Cpn tissue tropism and pathogenicity. RESULTS: We have sequenced the genomes of 18 clinical isolates from different anatomical sites (e.g. lung, blood, coronary arteries) of diseased patients, and one animal isolate. In total 1,363 SNP loci and 184 InDels have been identified in the genomes of all clinical Cpn isolates. These are distributed throughout the whole chlamydial genome and enriched in highly variable regions. The genomes show clear evidence of recombination in at least one potential region but no phage insertions. The tyrP gene was always encoded as single copy in all vascular isolates. Phylogenetic reconstruction revealed distinct evolutionary lineages containing primarily non-respiratory Cpn isolates. In one of these, clinical isolates from coronary arteries and blood monocytes were closely grouped together. They could be distinguished from all other isolates by characteristic nsSNPs in genes involved in RB to EB transition, inclusion membrane formation, bacterial stress response and metabolism. CONCLUSIONS: This study substantially expands the genomic data of Cpn and elucidates its evolutionary history. The translation of the observed Cpn genetic differences into biological functions and the prediction of novel pathogen-oriented diagnostic strategies have to be further explored.

Molecular evidence for genetic distinctions between Chlamydiaceae detected in Siamese crocodiles (Crocodylus siamensis) and known Chlamydiaceae species.

Chlamydiosis, caused by Chlamydiaceae, is a zoonotic disease found in humans and several species of animals, including reptiles and amphibians. Although chlamydiosis in saltwater crocodiles has been previously reported in South Africa and Papua New Guinea, the reported strains have not been identified or confirmed. Therefore, the main aim of this study was to sequence and characterize Chamydiaceae isolated from Siamese crocodiles. Results showed the 16S ribosomal (r) RNA and the 16S/23S rRNA gene of the crocodile isolates were closely related to the genus Chlamydophila with matched identity greater than 98%. The phylogenetic tree constructed from the 16S/23S rRNA gene showed the crocodile cluster diverges far from Cp. caviae with a 100% bootstrap value. The tree based on the ompA gene loci distinguished the crocodile strains into genotypes I, II, and III. The present study is the first report on Chlamydophila detected in Siamese crocodiles that is genetically distinct from the known species of Chlamydiaceae.

Rapid detection of Chlamydia/Chlamydophila group in samples collected from swine herds with and without reproductive disorders.

The study was carried out in seven reproductive herds of pigs. In three of them reproductive disorders were observed. Three herds consisted of 10-50 and four consisted of 120-500 adult sows and they were called small and medium, respectively. Fifty-seven adult sows were randomly selected from herds. Serum samples were tested using the complement fixation test and swabs from both eyes and from the vaginal vestibule were examined using real-time PCR. All serum samples were negative. Infected sows were present in each of the study herds. In total, there were 28 positive samples (53%, 28/48) in real-time PCR in sows with reproductive disorders and 35 (53%, 35/66) in sows selected from herds without problems in reproduction. One isolate proved to be Chlamydophila pecorum, whereas all the remaining were Chamydia suis.

Increased sensitivity to tryptophan bioavailability is a positive adaptation by the human strains of Chlamydia pneumoniae.

One of the most significant activities induced by interferon-gamma against intracellular pathogens is the induction of IDO (indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase) expression, which subsequently results in the depletion of tryptophan. We tested the hypothesis that human strains of Chlamydia pneumoniae are more sensitive to tryptophan limitation than animal C. pneumoniae strains. The human strains were significantly more sensitive to IFN-γ than the animal strains in a lung epithelia cell model (BEAS-2B), with exposure to 1 U ml(-1) IFN-γ resulting in complete loss of infectious yield of human strains, compared to the animal strains where reductions in infectious progeny were around 3.5-4.0 log. Strikingly, the IFN-γ induced loss of ability to form infectious progeny production was completely rescued by removal of the IFN-γ and addition of exogenous tryptophan for the human strains, but not the animal strains. In fact, a human heart strain was more capable of entering a non-infectious, viable persistent stage when exposed to IFN-γ and was also more effectively rescued, compared to a human respiratory strain. Exquisite susceptibility to IFN-γ, specifically due to tryptophan availability appears to be a core adaptation of the human C. pneumoniae strains, which may reflect the chronic nature of their infections in this host.

Molecular evidence of Chlamydophila pneumoniae infection in reptiles in Argentina.

In the central area of Argentina, the epidemiological and molecular characteristics of Chlamydophila pneumoniae infections in reptiles are still unknown. A nested polymerase chain reaction of the rpoB gene was used to detect C. pneumoniae in cloacal swab samples from 19 reptiles at a recreational area. Eleven (57.89%) reptiles were positive; the sequencing and phylogenetic analysis confirmed the presence of this bacterium. Neither C. pneumoniae DNA in the caregivers pharynges nor IgM antibodies anti-C. pneumoniae in their serum samples were detected; however, caregivers presented very high titers of IgG anti-C. pneumoniae. The detection of C. pneumoniae DNA in reptiles demonstrated the circulation of this agent in the recreational area and could be responsible for the exacerbated immune response of the personnel handling the reptiles, which suggests a potential zoonotic cycle. This is the first report of the detection of C. pneumoniae in reptiles in Argentina.

Seroprevalence and risk factors associated with Chlamydophila spp. infection in ewes in the northeast of Algeria.

A cross-sectional study was carried out to estimate prevalence of Chlamydophila spp. antibodies and to investigate risk factors associated with chlamydial infection in 552 ewes between March 2011 and January 2012 in the province of Constantine. Anti-Chlamydophila antibodies were detected using an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit in 24.5% of examined sera. Of the herds, 70.4% had at least one seropositive animal. A pretested structured questionnaire was administered in order to collect information on individual animal health and herd management practices. Chi-square analysis and multivariable logistic regression model were used to identify risk factors related to Chlamydophila seropositivity. Univariable analysis revealed 17 variables with p < 0.25 that were offered to the multivariable logistic regression model which in turn identified 12-23 months age group (OR = 5.903, 95% CI (OR) = 1.690; 20.618) and not using disinfectants (OR = 2.099, 95% CI (OR) = 1.314; 8.065) as risk factors for Chlamydophila spp. seropositivity. Moreover, occurrence of stillbirth problem (OR = 3.682, 95% CI (OR) = 1.825; 7.430) and 5-10% mortality rate in young lambs (OR = 2.584, 95% CI (OR) = 1.058; 6.310) were significantly associated with seropositivity to Chlamydophila spp. On the other hand, availability of veterinary service was identified as a protective factor (OR = 0.161, 95% CI (OR) = 0.051; 0.511).

Seroprevalence of Chlamydophila abortus infection in yaks (Bos grunniens) in Qinghai, China.

Chlamydophila abortus is an important amphixenosis which in a wide range of animals, associated with reproductive disorders in yaks. In order to assess the prevalence of this infection in yaks in Qinghai, China, a cross-sectional study was carried out, and a total of 674 serum samples were collected from June to October 2012 in six counties, and antibodies to C. abortus were examined by indirect hemagglutination (IHA) test. The overall seroprevalence of C. abortus in yaks was 17.66 % (119/674), and the seroprevalence of antibodies to C. abortus in yaks ranged from 11.82 to 28.43 % among the six different areas, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The seropositivity of C. abortus infection in different age groups varied from 16.33 to 18.49 %, and prevalence in yaks of ≥3 year (18.49 %) was slightly higher than that in yaks of <3 year, but the differences among the age groups were not statistically significant (P > 0.05). The seroprevalence of C. abortus infection in male yak (16.8 %) was slightly lower than that in females (17.85 %), and the difference was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). So far, this is the first systematic and comprehensive investigation of C. abortus infectionin in yaks in this area.

A prospective study of sheep and goat abortion using real-time polymerase chain reaction and cut point estimation shows Coxiella burnetii and Chlamydophila abortus infection concurrently with other major pathogens.

From 2009 to 2011, 163 sheep and 96 goat abortion submissions were received at the Animal Health Laboratory, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada, for gross and histologic examination, as well as real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing for Chlamydophila abortus and/or Coxiella burnetii. Additional testing included immunohistochemistry for Toxoplasma gondii and Chlamydophila spp., routine bacterial culture and selective culture for Campylobacter spp., examination of modified acid-fast-stained placenta smears, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay testing for Chlamydophila spp., and virus isolation. The final diagnosis made for each case by individual pathologists, based on gross and histologic lesions, as well as ancillary testing, was used as a standard to determine the significance of C. abortus and C. burnetii infection. Coxiella burnetii was identified by real-time PCR in 113 of 163 (69.0%) and 72 of 96 (75%) sheep and goat abortion submissions, respectively, but was considered to be significant in causing abortion in only 11 of 113 (10%) sheep and 15 out of 72 (21%) goat submissions that tested positive. Chlamydophila abortus was identified by real-time PCR in 42 of 162 (26%) and 54 of 92 (59%) sheep and goat submissions, respectively, but was considered the cause of the abortion in 16 of 42 (38%) sheep and 34 of 54 (63%) goat submissions that tested positive. Optimal sensitivity and specificity cut points for the real-time PCR copy number for C. abortus and C. burnetii were determined using the final pathology diagnosis as the reference test.

Salmonella, Campylobacter, and Chlamydophila in bald ibis (Geronticus eremita) feces in Turkey.

The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of Campylobacter spp., Salmonella spp., and Chlamydophila psittaci in fecal samples of bald ibises (Geronticus eremita) housed in a conservation facility in Turkey. A total of 82 fecal samples were collected from cages and evaluated by bacteriologic methods and a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique for Campylobacter spp. and Salmonella spp. and by PCR for C. psittaci. Campylobacter spp. were isolated from 24 of 82 fecal samples (29.2%). Of these 18 (75%), 4 (16.7%) and 2 (8.3%) were Campylobacter jejuni, Campylobacter coli, and other Campylobacter spp., respectively. Salmonella spp. were detected in 8 fecal specimens.(9.7%) by PCR. The presence of C. psittaci was not detected in the bald ibises studied. The results suggested that the bald ibises in this present study might be at a higher risk of infection with Salmonella spp. and Campylobacter spp.