Epizootic of Chlamydia psittaci infection in goats in Taiwan

Abstract

Epizootic abortion in goats has been frequently reported in Taiwan since 1993. The outbroken flocks were found in most of districts in Taiwan. No apparent clinical signs were found in aborted doe. The typical abortion occurred in the last two months of pregnancy. The incidence of abortion was from 10% to 87% in outbroken farms in 1993, and a total of 976 out of 2130 pregnancies (46%) were found abortion in our investigation. Gross lesions in aborted fetuses included generalized haemorrhage and swollen liver. Chlamydia psittaci was isolated from tissues of aborted fetuses and from vaginal swabs of aborted does. Chlamydial antibodies were detected among 67% to 100% of aborted does from epizootic flocks. The C. psittaci was diagnosed as the causal agent in enzootic abortion. This is the first report on chlamydial isolation and antibody surveys in epizootic abortion in goats in Taiwan.

Prevalence of Chlamydophila abortus Infection in Domesticated Ruminants in Taiwan.

“…Abortion has been a serious economic problem for domesticated ruminants worldwide [1,6,8,10,14,16,17]. In the past 5 years, dairy herds in Taiwan have experienced increasing incidence of abortion rising from 11% to 25 % (by herds), based on interviews and questionnaire surveys of 115 herd owners out of a total of 868 cow herds in Taiwan.…”

“…In the past 5 years, dairy herds in Taiwan have experienced increasing incidence of abortion rising from 11% to 25 % (by herds), based on interviews and questionnaire surveys of 115 herd owners out of a total of 868 cow herds in Taiwan. The epizootic of C. abortus (formerly called Chlamydia psittaci) infection in goats has been described [10]. Here, one of the frequently suspected ruminant abortigenic agents is C. abortus [10].…”

“…The epizootic of C. abortus (formerly called Chlamydia psittaci) infection in goats has been described [10]. Here, one of the frequently suspected ruminant abortigenic agents is C. abortus [10]. This is based on the clinical history, therapeutic effects of tetracycline, and a preliminary serological survey showing >37.5% seropositives among dairy cows (Dr. Fong, personal communication).…”