CLINICAL SIGNS AND TREATMENT
Chlamydial infections can produce localized conjunctivitis, dyspnoea, pneumonia and airsacculitis, enteritis, diarrhoea, encephalitis, polyarthritis, anorexia, emaciation
TABLE 26.2 Incidents of chlamydial (chlamydophilosis — Chlamydophila psittacι) infection recorded by wildlife disease surveillance schemes in the UK 1996—2010.
| Year | bgcolor=white>Number of incidents, species and mortalityLocation | Clinical signs | Pathology | Notes | Reference | |
| 2010 | Immature feral pigeon | Scotland | Unable to fly, thin body | Fibrinous pericarditis, | Clinical avian chlamydiosis | 14 |
| {Columba livid) ? 1 | Scotland | condition | perihepatitis, airsacculitis, | (chlamydophilosis) | 14 | |
| Immature jackdaw {Corvus | Moribund, lethargic, thin body | enteritis | Clinical avian chlamydiosis | |||
| moneduld) ? 1 | condition, vent feathers | Intestines distended with green | ||||
| soiled with faeces | semi-solid content | |||||
| 2009 | Dunnock {Prunella | Southern | Not given | Not given | Clinical avian | 14 |
| modularis) ? 3 Robin (Erithacus rubeculd) ? 1 Great tit (Parus major) ? 3 | England | chlamydiiosis | ||||
| 2008 | Immature chaffinch (Fnngella | Not given | Large plaque on air sac, | Clinical avian chlamydiosis | 14 | |
| coelebs) ? 1 | fibro-necrotizing airsacculitis | Immunohistochemistry | ||||
| Robin ? 1 | Hepatosplenomegaly, area of | showed association | ||||
| hepatic necrosis, airsacculitis | between Chlamydophila and lesions | |||||
| 2006-2007 | No reports | |||||
| 2005 | Feral pigeon ? 3 | Scotland | Not given | Not given | Clinical avian chlamydiosis | 14 |
| 2004 | Robin ? 3 over 3 weeks | East | Found dead | Histopathology — typical | Small outbreak of clinical | 14 |
| Collared dove (Streptopelia | England | Not given | lesions | avian chlamydiosis | 14 | |
| decaocto) ? 1 | Scotland | Not given | Not given | 14 | ||
| Collared dove (Streptopelia | Scotland | Not given | ||||
| decaocto) ? 1 | ||||||
| 2003 | Feral pigeon ? 1 | Scotland | Not given | Not given | Bird with concurrent | 14 |
| Rook (Corvus frugilegus) ? 1 | Scotland | Not given | Airsacculitis | inclusion body hepatitis Bird with an undescribed | 15 | |
| chronic respiratory syndrome not caused by chlamydiosis | ||||||
| 2002 | Blue tit (Parus caeruleuh ? 1 | Scotland | Not given | Not given | Significance of | 15 |
| Chlamydophilal infection not known | ||||||
| 2001 | Immature rook ? 2 | Scotland | Airsacculitis, pneumonia | Concurrent Mycoplasma | 15 | |
| pericarditis | gallisepticum infection; clinical significance of Chlamydia uncertain | |||||
| 2000 | No reports | |||||
| 1999 | Immature feral pigeons, | Southern | Not given | Not given | Concurrent salmonellosis | 15 |
| several birds | England | |||||
| 1996 | No reports | |||||
| -1998 |
Diagnosis prior to 2003 by pathology (histopathology), detection of typical bacteria in stained smear preparations and exclusion of other pathogens (by culture); after 2003, diagnosis in addition with PCR. Although limited data, this was from national surveillance, and the sporadic nature of small outbreaks, clinico-pathological findings, concurrent disease and disease in young birds are reflected in these data.
and generalized disease1-9’16).
Usually only one of these clinical manifestations will be seen in a given bird or animal under particular environmental or physiological conditions. In both mammals and birds’ the severity of disease may vary from clinically inapparent infections to severe systemic infections. Depending on the C. psittaci strain and the avian host’ pericarditis’ airsacculitis’ pneumonia’ lateral nasal gland adenitis’ peritonitis’ hepatitis and splenitis can develop but may be difficult to assess clinically. Generalized infections result in fever, anorexia, lethargy, diarrhoea and occasionally shock and death. Chronic infections often develop in psittacine species and pigeons, with poor body condition and sometimes the loss of the ability to fly reported. Non-specific clinical signs including lethargy, anorexia, ruffled feathers, discharges and diarrhoea; weight loss in chronic cases also occurs. Diarrhoea is frequently present and may be green in colour, mucoid and profuse, giving rise to staining of the vent feathers. All these findings are non-specific and nondiagnostic in themselves. See Table 26.2 for reported clinical signs.Treatment of birds is usually by using tetracyclines — in particular, doxycycline.