An outbreak of psittacosis due to Chlamydophila psittaci genotype A in a veterinary teaching hospital

Abstract

An outbreak of psittacosis in a veterinary teaching hospital was recognized in December 2004. Outbreak management was instituted to evaluate the extent of the outbreak and to determine the avian source. Real-time PCR, serologic testing and sequencing of the ompA gene of Chlamydophila psittaci were performed. Sputum samples from patients, throat-swab samples from exposed students and staff, and faecal specimens from parrots and pigeons were tested. In this outbreak, 34 % (10/29) of the tested individuals were infected. The clinical features of the infection ranged from none to sepsis with multi-organ failure requiring intensive-care-unit admission. C. psittaci genotype A was identified as the outbreak strain. Parrots, recently exposed to a group of cockatiels coming from outside the teaching facility, which were used in a practical class, appeared to be the source of the outbreak. One of the tested pigeons harboured an unrelated C. psittaci genotype B strain. The microbiological diagnosis by real-time PCR on clinical specimens allowed for rapid outbreak management; subsequent genotyping of the isolates identified the avian source. Recommendations are made to reduce the incidence and extent of future outbreaks.

Improving the molecular diagnosis of Chlamydia psittaci and Chlamydia abortus infection with a species-specific duplex real-time PCR

“…Moreover, the high-throughput potential together with the short turnaround time and the low cost of this RT-PCR make it a powerful tool for large-scale screening programs during outbreaks, if such situations arise. This may be very important, as the high infectivity of C. psittaci by the airway route confers a significant outbreak potential (Heddema et al, 2006b;Gaede et al, 2008;Belchior et al, 2011;McGuigan et al, 2012) and consideration as a potential bioterrorism agent. …”

Compendium of Veterinary Standard Precautions for Zoonotic Disease Prevention in Veterinary Personnel: National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians: Veterinary Infection Control Committee 2015

“…13 There are > 50 zoonotic diseases of importance in the United States (Appendix 1). 14,15 Documented zoonotic infections in veterinary personnel include the following: salmonellosis, [16][17][18][19] cryptosporidiosis, [20][21][22][23][24][25] plague, 26,27 sporotrichosis, [28][29][30][31][32] methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection, [33][34][35] psittacosis, [36][37][38][39] dermatophytosis, 40,41 leptospirosis, [42][43][44] bartonellosis, 45,46 and Q fever. [47][48][49][50] The American Association of Feline Practitioners published feline zoonoses guidelines in 2005 to provide veterinarians with educational information for clients and to highlight infection control procedures for small animal hospitals.…”

Determination of hematological values and detection of Chlamydophila psittaci antibodies in captive blue-naped parrots at the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Nature Center

“…[10] The symptoms include abrupt onset fevers, chills, headache, malaise, and myalgia. [11] A non-specific rash, enlarged spleen, and a pulse-temperature dissociation may be observed. [12] It is a zoonosis in which birds as the main reservoir transmits the bacteria to humans [11] and transmission occurs through inhalation of infectious dust or particles from feathers and consumption of infected carcass.…”

“…[14] The infected animal may remain asymptomatic and only manifest symptoms when stressed. [11,15] In the Philippines, recent researches used antibody tests to determine the presence of C. psittaci antibodies. In the study of Maluping et al, [16] they studied different captive birds from Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife Nature Center (NAPWNC).…”

“…[12] It is a zoonosis in which birds as the main reservoir transmits the bacteria to humans [11] and transmission occurs through inhalation of infectious dust or particles from feathers and consumption of infected carcass. [11,13] Large amounts of bacteria are excreted in feces and may be airborne when the feces dries. It can also be found in oral and respiratory secretions.…”