Chlamydophila psittaci DNA Detection in the Faeces of Cage Birds

Abstract

In this study, we investigated the shedding of Chlamydophila psittaci in faecal samples from cage birds using PCR testing. A total of 47 faeces samples were collected from four different aviaries. Main symptoms determined after clinical investigation and owner histories of the birds showed that the birds had respiratory system problems changing from mild to severe. They also showed conjunctivitis, diarrhoea or no symptoms at all. DNA extractions from faeces were performed with the QIAamp DNA Stool Mini Kit. Following PCR with Cp. psittaci specific primers, 43 (91.5%) samples were determined to harbour-specific DNA. Only one bird from each aviary was found to be negative by PCR. As all the samples from birds showing clinical signs were PCR positive, these signs could be correlated to psittacosis in these birds. Cp. psittaci shedding in faeces was detected in all the aviaries. After restriction analysis of PCR amplicons with AluI enzyme, all the isolates showed the same RFLP (Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism) patterns with the control Cp. psittaci DNA. PCR following QIAamp DNA stool mini kit extraction of faecal samples was found to be a rapid, specific, sensitive, reproducible test, which did not need additional nested PCR of samples.

PCR-based diagnosis, molecular characterization and detection of atypical strains of avianChlamydia psittaciin companion and wild birds

“…The reported infection rates in pet birds in other studies were highly variable, ranging from 0.8 to 91.5% (Hewinson et al, 1997;Ç elebi & Ak, 2006;Chahota et al, 2006;Rešidbegović et al, 2006;Sareyyupoglu et al, 2007;Vanrompay et al, 2007;Lublin et al, 2009). Studies on chlamydiosis in Passeriformes were fewer than in other avian orders such as Psittaciformes and Columbiformes and only 89 infections have been reported from about 4000 passerine species (Kaleta & Taday, 2003).…”

Detecção e classificação molecular de Chlamydophila psittaci em amostras fecais de aves assintomáticas

“…1) A positividade para infecção por C. psittaci é variável em função de situações que predispõem as aves à infecção, presença de enfermidade clínica e ao teste diagnóstico utilizado (Stewardson e Grayson, 2010;Okuda et al, 2011). Há relatos desde positividade de 6,3% (2/32) em papagaios-verdadeiros (A. aestiva) e de 26,7% (12/45) em araras-azuis (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus), procedentes de aves jovens do Pantanal do Mato Grosso do Sul, Brasil (Raso et al, 2006), 52,6% (61/116) em pombos na Espanha (Vázquez et al, 2010) e 90% (43/47) em várias espécies de aves de gaiola na Turquia (Sareyyupoglu et al, 2007). Foi realizado também o sequenciamento do fragmento de 818 pb da subunidade 16S do rRNA, amplificado a partir do DNA de C. abortus, que foi utilizado como controle positivo; nesse fragmento foi observado, na região correspondente ao fragmento interno de 151 pb que foi amplificado pela PCR em tempo real, polimorfismo de cinco nucleotídeos em relação às sequências de DNA de C. psittaci publicadas no GenBank (AF481051 e AF481052) (Tab.…”

Development of Polymerase Chain Reaction assays with host-specific internal controls for Chlamydophila abortus

“…It is important to note that the primers designed in this study can potentially detect C. psittaci in avian samples. Similarly, it was reported that CpsiA/CpsiB primers were effective for detecting avian chlamydiosis (Laroucau et al 2007;Sareyyupoglu et al 2007).…”