Author/Editor		Marhold, Cvetka; Slavec, Brigita; Laroucau, Karine; Vorimore, Fabien; Račnik, Jožko; Zadravec, Marko; Keše, Darja; Krapež, Uroš; Dovč, Alenka
Title		Detection of Chlamydia psittaci in cage birds in Slovenia by real-time PCR
Translated title		Ugotavljanje bakterije Chlamydia psittaci pri sobnih pticah v Sloveniji s PCR v realnem času
Type		članek
Source		Slov Vet Res
Vol. and No.		Letnik 49, št. 4
Publication year		2012
Volume		str. 185-92
Language		eng
Abstract		Avian chlamydiosis is a zoonotic disease of birds caused by the bacterium Chlamydia psittaci. The highest infection rates are found in psittacine birds (Psittacidae) which are the most common cage birds. C. psittaci causes infections of the conjunctiva, respiratory tract, and digestive tract, with or without clinical signs in birds. Infected birds can shed chlamydiae through respiratory tract excretions and in faeces. Transmission of C. psittaci primarily occurs by close contact of infected bird to the susceptible bird or human. To determine the prevalence of C. psittaci in cage birds in Slovenia, oropharyngeal and cloacal swabs from 125 cage birds were examined by Chlamydiaceae-specific real-time polymerase chain reaction (real-time PCR). Two lovebirds (2/12) and a budgerigar (1/44) were positive for Chlamydiaceae by real-time PCR and were also positive for C. psittaci by an ompA-based real-time PCR assay specific for C. psittaci. Multiple loci variable number of tandem repeats analysis (MLVA) identified C. psittaci of genotype A in the positive budgerigar and C. psittaci of genotype B in the two positive lovebirds. The infected birds had no significant clinical signs of avian chlamydiosis on clinical examination. Using real-time PCR, the study showed a low prevalence (2.4 %) of C. psittaci in Slovenia