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Detection of Chlamydia abortus in aborted chorioallantoises of horses from Western Canada.
Abstract: Chlamydiae are reported to cause abortion in several species, however the association between Chlamydia sp. and equine abortions is poorly understood. A zoonotic transfer event of C. psittaci from aborted equine tissues in Australia has emphasized the need to better understand the prevalence of this pathogen in equine populations. The prevalence of chlamydia in equine abortions in North America has not been investigated thoroughly. We examined 99 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded placental samples submitted between 2009 and 2020 from equine abortions in Western Canada using chlamydia-specific 16S rRNA conventional PCR testing; 26 of 99 submissions tested positive for chlamydial DNA. Most of these submissions (n = 17) had no final diagnosis noted on their original pathology reports. DNA sequencing identified 22 of the 26 cases as C. abortus; 21 of the 22 C. abortus-positive samples were positive on chlamydial immunohistochemistry. These findings contrast with studies in Europe that found a low prevalence of chlamydiae using similar methodology. The high prevalence of the potentially zoonotic C. abortus identified in our study suggests that more substantial biosecurity protocols may be warranted for equine foaling, abortion, and stillbirth in Western Canada to prevent zoonotic transfer of the pathogen.
Publication Date: 2023-05-02 PubMed ID: 37129380PubMed Central: PMC10331393DOI: 10.1177/10406387231171844Google Scholar: Lookup The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
- Journal Article
Summary
This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.
The study titled “Detection of Chlamydia abortus in aborted chorioallantoises of horses from Western Canada” presents research on the prevalence of chlamydia in aborted horse pregnancies in Western Canada. The findings emphasize the need for improved biosecurity protocols to prevent zoonotic transfer of the pathogen.
Objective of the study
The study’s primary objective was to shed light on the prevalence of chlamydia, specifically Chlamydia abortus, in aborted horse pregnancies in Western Canada. The endeavor comes in light of similar research in Australia and the lack of comprehensive studies on this subject in North America.
- This research was prompted by a need to better understand the prevalence of the chlamydia pathogen in equine populations, following a zoonotic transfer event of Chlamydia abortus from aborted equine tissues in Australia.
- It aimed to provide insights that could be beneficial in the establishment of efficient biosecurity protocols to prevent the zoonotic transfer of this pathogen.
Methodology
To conduct this research, scientists used 99 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded placental samples originating from equine abortions in Western Canada between 2009 and 2020. These samples underwent standard Chlamydia-specific 16S rRNA conventional PCR testing.
- These samples were chosen to give a wide-ranging view of the prevalence of the pathogen within the equine population over a substantial timespan.
- The use of the 16S rRNA conventional PCR testing is characteristic for its specificity to chlamydial DNA, and thus provides reliable results on the presence of the pathogen.
Findings
Out of the 99 placental samples, 26 tested positive for chlamydial DNA. Further DNA sequencing identified 22 out of these 26 cases as Chlamydia abortus.
- Out of the positive cases, most (17 out of 26) originally didn’t have a final diagnosis noted on their pathology reports.
- 21 of the 22 Chlamydia abortus-positive samples were confirmed as positive through chlamydial immunohistochemistry, further solidifying the results.
Implications
The study concluded a high prevalence of Chlamydia abortus in equine abortions, an outcome contrasting to similar studies conducted in Europe. These findings indicate the need for more robust biosecurity measures in equine foaling, abortion, and stillbirth management to prevent the zoonotic transfer of this pathogen.
Cite This Article
APA
Ricard RM, Burton J, Chow-Lockerbie B, Wobeser B.
(2023).
Detection of Chlamydia abortus in aborted chorioallantoises of horses from Western Canada.
J Vet Diagn Invest, 35(4), 359-365.
https://doi.org/10.1177/10406387231171844 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Veterinary Pathology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.
- Department of Veterinary Pathology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.
- Department of Veterinary Pathology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.
- Department of Veterinary Pathology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Horses / genetics
- Female
- Pregnancy
- Chlamydia Infections / diagnosis
- Chlamydia Infections / epidemiology
- Chlamydia Infections / veterinary
- RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / genetics
- Placenta
- Chlamydia / genetics
- Canada / epidemiology
- Abortion, Veterinary / epidemiology
- Horse Diseases / diagnosis
- Horse Diseases / epidemiology
Conflict of Interest Statement
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
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This article includes 29 references
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Citations
This article has been cited 2 times.- Gao W, Liu M, Nurdaly K, Caidan D, Sun Y, Duan J, Zhao J, Gong X, Zhou J, Zhang Y, Chen Q. Unveiling Equine Abortion Pathogens: A One Health Perspective on Prevalence and Resistance in Northwest China. Pathogens 2025 Dec 11;14(12).
- Ricard RM, Wobeser B. Molecular detection of Chlamydia abortus in endometrial biopsies of mares from western Canada. J Vet Diagn Invest 2024 Nov;36(6):921-924.
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