Prevalence and Risk Factors of Avian Chlamydiosis Detected by Polymerase Chain Reaction in Psittacine Birds in Thailand.

This study surveyed avian chlamydiosis, with the aim to estimate the prevalence and potential risk factors associated with Chlamydia psittaci infection in psittacine birds kept as domestic pets in Thailand. Oropharyngeal swabs were collected from 120 psittacine birds that were randomly selected from hospitals in the central (Bangkok) and northeastern regions (Khon Kaen) of Thailand between 2019 and 2021. The oropharyngeal swabs were subject to polymerase chain reaction testing to detect the C psittaci ompA gene. The prevalence of C psittaci was 2.5% (3/ 120, 95% confidence interval = 0.3-5.3). Of the 3 positive birds, 1 was a Forpus parrot (Forpus species)(CP43TH) and 1 was an African grey parrot (Psittacus erithacus)(CP49TH) from Bangkok; both were juvenile birds with clinical signs of disease. The third positive bird (CP12TH) was a subclinical adult sun conure (Aratinga solstitialis) from Khon Kaen. Two sequences of samples that were previously identified in human psittacosis cases (accession numbers MK032053.1 and HM450409.1) were also examined. Since there was a low number of infected birds, potential associations between C psittaci infection and various environmental variables (eg, cage cleaning, synanthropic birds, quarantine of new birds, and overcrowding) were assessed by Fisher exact tests. This study provides estimates of the prevalence and potential risk factors associated with C psittaci infection in psittacine birds from central (Bangkok) and the northeastern regions (Khon Kaen) of Thailand. The detection of C psittaci in captive psittacine birds demonstrates that there is a possibility for bird-to-bird transmission as well as some zoonotic potential for the human caretakers of these birds. Furthermore, larger-scale studies should be conducted to confirm these findings.

Epidemiology of antimicrobial resistance in Salmonella isolated from pork, chicken meat and humans in Thailand.

Forty samples each of pork and chicken meat were collected from local retail markets in Khon Kaen, northeast Thailand, for Salmonella isolation and identification during 2003. Fifty-four isolates of Salmonella obtained from diarrheal patients admitted at a hospital located in the same town were serotyped. All isolates were also tested for antimicrobial sensitivity against amoxicillin (Amx), chloramphenicol (Chl), norfloxacin (Nor), ciprofloxacin (Cip), gentamicin (Gm), sulfamethoxazole and Trimethoprim (Sxt), Tetracycline (Tet), Streptomycin (Str) and sulfamethoxazole (Sulfa). The results showed that 26 (65%) pork samples and 30 (75%) chicken meat samples were contaminated with Salmonella. The most prevalent serovar in pork was S. Rissen (61.5%), followed by S. Stanley and S. Lexington (11.5%). In chicken meat, the most prevalent serovar was S. Anatum (33.3%), followed by S. Rissen (16.7%). Among isolates from human patients, S. Rissen (20.4%) and S. Stanley (18.5%) were the most frequently identified serovars. All the isolates were resistant to Str and Sulfa. None were resistant to Nor and Cip. Resistance to Amx, Chl, Gm, Sxt, and Tet in pork was 15.4, 15.4, 3.9, 15.4 and 88.5%, respectively. The resistance to those antimicrobial agents in chicken meat was 30.0, 26.7, 6.7, 20 and 100%, respectively, and in human patients was 27.8, 20.4, 5.6, 31.5 and 92.6%, respectively. Statistical analysis found no difference in the rate of resistance to Amx, Chl, Gm, and Sxt among the different sources of the Salmonella isolates (p > 0.05 for each antimicrobial agent). Our results indicate that antimicrobial resistant Salmonella strains were widely spread among pork and chicken meat, and in humans.