Belgian cross-sectional epidemiological study on zoonotic avian Chlamydia spp. in chickens

Chlamydia psittaci, Chlamydia gallinacea, and Chlamydia abortus are the most common Chlamydia spp. in chickens and have a confirmed or suggested zoonotic potential. No recent data are available on their prevalence and impact in the Belgian chicken industry or in the recreational chicken branch. Therefore, a cross-sectional epidemiological study was executed where samples were collected from both factory-farmed and backyard chickens. More specifically, pharyngeal chicken swabs were obtained from 20 chicken farms, 5 chicken abattoirs, and 38 different backyard locations and were analyzed using s... Mehr ...

Verfasser: De Meyst, Anne
De Clercq, Pieter
Porrez, Jelmer
Geens, Tom
Braeckman, Lutgart
Ouburg, Sander
Morré, Servaas A.
Vanrompay, Daisy
Dokumenttyp: journalarticle
Erscheinungsdatum: 2024
Schlagwörter: Biology and Life Sciences / Medicine and Health Sciences / Chlamydia / chicken / zoonosis / psittacosis / Chlamydia psittaci / Chlamydia gallinacea / Chlamydia abortus / backyard / poultry industry / CHLAMYDOPHILA-PSITTACI / TRANSMISSION / INFECTIONS / GALLINACEA / PATHOLOGY / ABORTUS / RISK
Sprache: Englisch
Permalink: https://search.fid-benelux.de/Record/base-28491809
Datenquelle: BASE; Originalkatalog
Powered By: BASE
Link(s) : https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/01HPE7DTN1AGGGZXA2JD1G25EY

Chlamydia psittaci, Chlamydia gallinacea, and Chlamydia abortus are the most common Chlamydia spp. in chickens and have a confirmed or suggested zoonotic potential. No recent data are available on their prevalence and impact in the Belgian chicken industry or in the recreational chicken branch. Therefore, a cross-sectional epidemiological study was executed where samples were collected from both factory-farmed and backyard chickens. More specifically, pharyngeal chicken swabs were obtained from 20 chicken farms, 5 chicken abattoirs, and 38 different backyard locations and were analyzed using species-specific Polymerase Chain Reactions (PCRs) for the presence of the three avian Chlamydia spp. To investigate their zoonotic potential, samples were simultaneously collected from 54 backyard chicken caretakes and 37 professional chicken caretakers or abattoir employees and analyzed using species-specific PCRs as well. This study confirmed the presence of DNA of all three Chlamydia species in both the chicken industry and backyard settings. Chlamydia psittaci was the most prevalent in the industry chickens (11.0%), whereas Chlamydia gallinacea was the dominant species in the backyard chickens (14.5%). Chlamydia abortus infections were more common in the commercial chickens (9.0%) compared to the backyard chickens (2.6%). The DNA of all three species was also detected in humans (3.9% Chlamydia psittaci, 2.9% Chlamydia gallinacea, and 1.0% Chlamydia abortus).