Chlamydial infections in animals
Chlamydophila psittaci in birds: Introduction
Avian chlamydiosis is a term that describes Chlamydophila psittaci infections in a wide range of domesticated and feral
[wild] bird species. Strains of the organism are
very common among avian species, with world-wide recognition of
these infections. It is likely that all avian species may be natural hosts for C. psittaci.
In the new Chlamydophila psittaci
taxon which arose following the reclassification of the order Chlamydiales
(Everett et al., 1999), only the avian chlamydial strains previously designated as Chlamydia psittaci are retained. The chlamydial strains associated with
ruminant abortion and
with infection in cats and guinea pigs, formerly contained within the previous Chlamydia psittaci
taxon, have become 3 new species: Chlamydophila abortus,
Chlamydophila felis and Chlamydophila caviae, respectively.
Although
C. psittaci strains from birds show some differences in virulence, all
should be considered as potentially transmissible to human beings.
In the past, chlamydial infection in psittacine birds
was termed ‘psittacosis’ whereas disease in wild and domestic fowl was
called ‘ornithosis’. However, as C. psittaci strains isolated from psittacine or
non-psittacine species have been shown to produce identical disease in birds of either grouping
(Page, 1966), this distinction is
artificial. The
more universally applicable term ‘chlamydiosis’ can be usefully employed to describe chlamydial infections
of all animal species, including birds, mammals and man.
NEXT: C. psittaci: Epidemiology
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