Chlamydophila pecorum: Epidemiology
In sheep and cattle populations in the UK, C. pecorum infections of the intestinal tract
are both endemic and chronic (Griffiths et al., 1992 and
1996; Markey, et. al.,
1993; Jones et al., 1997; Clarkson and Philips,
1997).
C. pecorum infections have also been recognized from many other parts of the
world. Intestinal carriage and faecal excretion onto pasture land probably plays
a major but undefined role in the maintenance of C. pecorum infection.
C. pecorum also causes disease of the reproductive tract of cattle and
pigs [see: infection in pigs].
This may be analogous to the insidious progress of C. trachomatis
genital tract infection in humans (Hitchcock,
1999), in which symptoms may go unnoticed
for a considerable period but may lead to chronic sequelae such as pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility.
Although C. abortus is primarily associated with spontaneous abortion in cattle
and sheep, there is evidence that C. pecorum causes pregancy wastage (Jones
et al., 1999) and also endometritis and infertility
(Jones et al., 1996, 1999;
Magnino et al., 2000). However, as chlamydiae in such cases
are shed from the female genital tract, it is unclear what role, if any, faecal
excretion may have played in maintaining a pool of infection.
NEXT: C.
pecorum: Clinical
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