PUBLIC HEALTH CONCERN
There is little secondary infection between humans. The zoonotic potential of Chlamydiaceae has to be considered when handling or working with animals suspected of having chlamydial infections.
Cleaning cages and enclosures as well as post mortem investigations should be carried out using appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE), or in biosecure cabinets. Recently, game was identified as a potential reservoir of Chlamydophila and a possible source of human infection. Hunters and people who handle game should be aware of the infection risk, and appropriate hygiene is recommended in order to minimize the risk of disease transmission to humans. Although feral pigeons are usually subclinically infected, in contrast collared doves more frequently develop clinical disease and therefore have a specific but largely unassessed potential to infect humans(19). An outbreak of chlamydiosis occurred in women of the Faroe Islands through preparing subclinically infected fulmar (Fulma- rus glacialis) for human consumption. Several authors(5) point out that members of the public should be made aware of the zoonotic risks from handling the carcases of wild birds, including garden birds, both from the chlamydial risks and from risks from salmonella and other zoonotic agents. This advice was extended to stressing the importance that strict management measures for personal hygiene and disease prevention were adopted in wildlife rehabilitation centres to minimize the spread of chlamydiae between species, including humans. The debate as to which wild species of birds pose consistent and real health risks to humans and domesticated species has not been answered. The role of pigeons as a source of disease in humans is still the subject of scientific debate. The columbiform family has a high prevalence of chlamydial infection; however, some authors consider they are of lesser concern(12), although there may be increased occupational risks (for example in steeplejacks). Other authors consider feral pigeons to be a significant source of infection for humans. The apparent higher levels of clinical disease in collared doves is also relevant. This latter species may be susceptible as a result of the significant increase in its geographical range in the past 100 years; however, there are very few reports of disease in humans acquired from this species. A lack of data has prevented a quantitative risk assessment, but in this context the development of PCR chlamydial testing for the first time may allow an opportunity to accurately assess prevalence of infection in respective wild species, and in purported avian populations suspected to be the source of human disease.
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