other Chlamydiae
Chlamydophila abortus strains colonize the placenta and are primarily associated with cases of abortion and weak neonates, particularly in sheep and goats. The agent is endemic among ruminants (goats, sheep, cattle) worldwide and has also been associated with cases of abortion in a horse, a rabbit, guinea pigs, mice and swine.
Chlamy- dophila abortus is a zoonotic pathogen and may cause abortion in women. Recently, C. abortus has been associated with gammopathy in the protein electrophoresis pattern in Spanish common (F tinnunculus) and lesser kestrel (7? naumanni) nestlings. A concurrent Chlamydo- phila outbreak among sheep led to the suggestion of cross-infection between livestock, insects and a kestrel in the same area(20). Chlamydophila abortus was also detected in pulmonary lymph nodes, uterus and placenta of free- ranging wild boar in Germany1-7). High prevalence of antibodies against C. abortus and Chlamydiaceae was shown in wild ungulates from Spain, including wild boar, red deer (Cervus elaphus), roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), fallow deer (Dama dama), mouflon ( Ovis aries musimon), Barbary sheep (Ammotragus lervia), southern chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica) and Iberian ibex (Capra pyrena- ica)(18). A case of abortion caused by C. abortus in a springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis) has been reported from Paris Zoo(21). Infections due to C. abortus in ruminants may result in fever as high as 41°C on day 1 or 2, which may last for 3—5 days. In sheep, abortions usually occur during the last month of gestation. In cattle, abortions occur in the last trimester and are usually sporadic. Abortion rates may vary between 1 and 5% in chronic infected herds and 30% in flocks with recently introduced C. abortus. Infection occurs via inhalation or ingestion and first affects the tonsil, from which it spreads via the bloodstream to other body sites. Placental infections establish between days 60 and 90 of gestation, with pathological lesions first seen after 90 days, and include loss of chorionic epithelial cells, fibrino-purulent arteritis, necrosis and sloughing of the endometrial epithelium. Infection of the fetus occurs secondary to placentitis, but the mechanism by which C. abortus migrates from the maternal side of the placenta to the fetus is still uncertain. Inflammation and necrotic foci are found in most fetal organs and tissues. Infected fetuses usually reveal enlarged popliteal and mesenteric lymph nodes having a demarcated cortex with follicles and germinal centres(22). The commercially available IDEXX Chlamydiosis Total Ab Test is an indirect ELISA for the detection of antibodies against C. abortus in serum and plasma of ruminants. The guidelines for the diagnosis of enzootic abortion in ewes are given in the OIE Manual of Diagnostic Tests and Vaccines for Terrestrial Animals1-15,23).Chlamydophila pecorum strains are serologically and pathogenically diverse. Isolation is from mammals only: ruminants, koalas and swine. In koalas, reproductive disease, infertility, and urinary tract disease have been described. In other mammals, the agent causes abortion, conjunctivitis, encephalomyelitis, enteritis, pneumonia and polyarthritis(1). Chlamydophila pecorum may produce diarrhoea in ruminants after oral infection. Polyarthritis/ polyserositis due to C. pecorum is characterized by subcutaneous oedema and fluid-filled synovial sacs. Swollen joints contain a greyish-yellow turbid synovial fluid. Histopathological lesions are primarily inflammatory changes in the synovium, tendon sheaths and subsynovial tissues. Syndromes associated with chlamydial infections in the koala include keratoconjunctivitis with serous ocular discharge and mild blepharospasm, cystitis, increased frequency of urination and dysuria, and infertility1-13).
Chlamydophila pneumoniae infects humans, koalas and horses, primarily causing respiratory disease.
Koala isolates are most often recovered from ocular and urogenital sites, where they appear less pathogenic1-1). Chlamy- diosis in the koala is the most intensively studied chlamydial infection of wild mammals worldwide, and the koala biovar of C. pneumoniae has been found in all Australian free-ranging koala populations that have been investigated.Chlamydophila felis is endemic among domestic cats worldwide. The infection is characterized by severe conjunctivitis, blepharospasm, hyperaemia, chemosis and serous to mucopurulent ocular discharge, often concurrent with mild respiratory signs, slight nasal discharge and sneezing. Chlamydophila felis may also colonize the gastrointestinal and reproductive tract. Transmission of C. felis is by direct contact with infected secretions and droplet infection. Clinical signs develop within 4 days and gradually subside after 30 days post- infection, but longterm persistency has been suggested. Zoonotic infection of humans has been described(1).
Chlamydophila caviae primarily infects the mucosal epithelium, is non- invasive and is markedly species- specific for guinea pigs ( Cavia cobaya)(1). The natural site of infection is the conjunctiva, but C. caviae also infects the genital tract of guinea pigs.
Chlamydia suis strains have only been isolated from swine. In experimental studies C. suis caused subclinical intestinal infections in young weanling pigs, with intestinal lesions but without diarrhoea. Chlamydia suis has also been associated with conjunctivitis, pneumonia and a high proportion of apparently subclinical infections1-1). Chlamydia suis was detected in lung and pulmonary lymph nodes of free- ranging wild boar in Germany(7).
Chlamydia muridarum has been isolated from mice and hamsters. The strain from hamsters is not known to cause disease, but pneumonia has been seen in mice(1).The two latter species were recently detected by PCR in blood samples from Spanish common and lesser kestrels nestlings but have never been recorded in birds before(20).
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