Molecular evidence to suggest pigeon-type Chlamydia psittaci in association with an equine foal loss.
Abstract: Chlamydia psittaci is an important avian pathogen with spillover from infected wild and domesticated birds also posing a risk to human health. We recently reported a case of C. psittaci equine placentitis associated with further spillover to humans. Molecular typing of this case revealed it belonged to the 6BC clade of C. psittaci, a globally distributed highly virulent set of strains, typically linked to infection spillover from parrots. Equine chlamydiosis associated with C. psittaci infection has previously been reported elsewhere in countries where parrots are not endemic, however, raising questions over the identity of infecting C. psittaci strains and the potential infection reservoirs. In this study, we describe the detection and molecular characterization of C. psittaci in a case of equine abortion in southern Queensland. Equine placenta and fresh liver and lung tissue from the necropsied foetus were positive by C. psittaci-specific qPCR. Chlamydia psittaci-specific multilocus sequence typing and ompA genotyping were used to further characterize the detected equine strains and an additional strain obtained from a dove from a different geographic region presenting with psittacosis. Molecular typing of this case revealed that the infecting equine strains were closely related to the C0sittaci detected in dove, all belonging to an evolutionary lineage of C. psittaci strains typically associated with infections of pigeons globally. This finding suggests a broader diversity of C. psittaci strains may be detected in horses and in association with reproductive loss, highlighting the need for an expansion of surveillance studies globally to understand the epidemiology of equine chlamydiosis and the associated zoonotic risk.
© 2018 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.
Publication Date: 2018-01-19 PubMed ID: 29352509DOI: 10.1111/tbed.12817Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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The research article explores an instance of foal loss in equines due to pigeon-type Chlamydia psittaci, suggesting a wider diversity of the strains of the bacterium in horses, and prompting the need for better surveillance globally.
Chlamydia psittaci and Foal Loss
- Chlamydia psittaci, an avian pathogen, was detected in a case of equine abortion in southern Queensland.
- Past incidents revealed this bacterium causing equine placentitis, leading to threats to human health as well from its spillover.
- The focus here is primarily on the 6BC clade of C. psittaci. It is a highly virulent set of strains usually linked to parrot infections.
Equine Chlamydiosis
- Equine chlamydiosis is a condition in horses that is usually identified in countries where parrots are not endemic.
- This anomaly raises questions about the identity, strains, and potential reservoirs of the infecting C. psittaci.
- In this study, it got detected in equine placenta and fresh liver and lung tissue from the aborted foetus.
- C. psittaci-specific qPCR test, multilocus sequence typing and ompA genotyping were used to further characterize these strains.
Pigeon-Type Chlamydia psittaci
- An additional C. psittaci strain was examined from a dove in a different geographic region exhibiting psittacosis, an infection caused by C. psittaci.
- Molecular typing provided an understanding that the equine strains were closely related to the one detected in the dove.
- All these strains belong to an evolutionary lineage of C. psittaci typically associated with pigeon infections globally.
A Call for Extended Surveillance
- This case suggests that horses might be infected with a broader diversity of C. psittaci strains, leading to reproductive loss.
- This underscores the need to escalate surveillance studies globally to comprehend the epidemiology of equine chlamydiosis better.
- Further, it is crucial to understand its associated zoonotic risk, i.e., the transmission of the disease from animals to humans.
Cite This Article
APA
Jelocnik M, Jenkins C, O'Rourke B, Barnwell J, Polkinghorne A.
(2018).
Molecular evidence to suggest pigeon-type Chlamydia psittaci in association with an equine foal loss.
Transbound Emerg Dis, 65(3), 911-915.
https://doi.org/10.1111/tbed.12817 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Centre for Animal Health Innovation, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, NSW, Australia.
- NSW Department of Primary Industries, Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute, Menangle, NSW, Australia.
- NSW Department of Primary Industries, Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute, Menangle, NSW, Australia.
- Equine Veterinary Services, Hodgson Vale, QLD, Australia.
- Centre for Animal Health Innovation, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, NSW, Australia.
MeSH Terms
- Abortion, Veterinary / microbiology
- Animals
- Chlamydophila psittaci / genetics
- Chlamydophila psittaci / isolation & purification
- Chlamydophila psittaci / pathogenicity
- Columbidae / microbiology
- Female
- Horse Diseases / microbiology
- Horses
- Liver / microbiology
- Lung / microbiology
- Multilocus Sequence Typing / veterinary
- Placenta / microbiology
- Pregnancy
- Psittacosis / microbiology
- Psittacosis / veterinary
- Queensland
Citations
This article has been cited 12 times.- El-Hage C, Legione A, Devlin J, Hughes K, Jenkins C, Gilkerson J. Equine Psittacosis and the Emergence of Chlamydia psittaci as an Equine Abortigenic Pathogen in Southeastern Australia: A Retrospective Data Analysis.. Animals (Basel) 2023 Jul 28;13(15).
- Ricard RM, Burton J, Chow-Lockerbie B, Wobeser B. Detection of Chlamydia abortus in aborted chorioallantoises of horses from Western Canada.. J Vet Diagn Invest 2023 Jul;35(4):359-365.
- White RT, Anstey SI, Kasimov V, Jenkins C, Devlin J, El-Hage C, Pannekoek Y, Legione AR, Jelocnik M. One clone to rule them all: Culture-independent genomics of Chlamydia psittaci from equine and avian hosts in Australia.. Microb Genom 2022 Oct;8(10).
- Anstey SI, Kasimov V, Jenkins C, Legione A, Devlin J, Amery-Gale J, Gilkerson J, Hair S, Perkins N, Peel AJ, Borel N, Pannekoek Y, Chaber AL, Woolford L, Timms P, Jelocnik M. Chlamydia Psittaci ST24: Clonal Strains of One Health Importance Dominate in Australian Horse, Bird and Human Infections.. Pathogens 2021 Aug 11;10(8).
- Chaber AL, Jelocnik M, Woolford L. Undiagnosed Cases of Human Pneumonia Following Exposure to Chlamydia psittaci from an Infected Rosella Parrot.. Pathogens 2021 Jul 30;10(8).
- Stokes HS, Berg ML, Bennett ATD. A Review of Chlamydial Infections in Wild Birds.. Pathogens 2021 Jul 28;10(8).
- Jelocnik M, Nyari S, Anstey S, Playford N, Fraser TA, Mitchell K, Blishen A, Pollak NM, Carrick J, Chicken C, Jenkins C. Real-time fluorometric and end-point colorimetric isothermal assays for detection of equine pathogens C. psittaci and equine herpes virus 1: validation, comparison and application at the point of care.. BMC Vet Res 2021 Aug 19;17(1):279.
- Ravichandran K, Anbazhagan S, Karthik K, Angappan M, Dhayananth B. A comprehensive review on avian chlamydiosis: a neglected zoonotic disease.. Trop Anim Health Prod 2021 Jul 27;53(4):414.
- Baumann S, Gurtner C, Marti H, Borel N. Detection of Chlamydia species in 2 cases of equine abortion in Switzerland: a retrospective study from 2000 to 2018.. J Vet Diagn Invest 2020 Jul;32(4):542-548.
- Jelocnik M. Chlamydiae from Down Under: The Curious Cases of Chlamydial Infections in Australia.. Microorganisms 2019 Nov 22;7(12).
- Phillips S, Quigley BL, Timms P. Seventy Years of Chlamydia Vaccine Research - Limitations of the Past and Directions for the Future.. Front Microbiol 2019;10:70.
- Jenkins C, Jelocnik M, Micallef ML, Galea F, Taylor-Brown A, Bogema DR, Liu M, O'Rourke B, Chicken C, Carrick J, Polkinghorne A. An epizootic of Chlamydia psittaci equine reproductive loss associated with suspected spillover from native Australian parrots.. Emerg Microbes Infect 2018 May 16;7(1):88.
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