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Presence of Chlamydiaceae in different birds kept in zoos and other collections in Croatia

Numerous bird species are often kept in captivity, individually or in collections of different sizes. In some occasions, although it is not recommended due to the potential disease spread, birds originating from different part of the world are kept in the close proximity to each other. If such collections are open for the public, it is necessary that the birds are tested for the presence of potential zoonotic agents. In the Republic of Croatia, it is obligatory, according to the law, that all birds kept in zoos or other publicly available collections must be examined for the presence of C. psittaci at least once per year. From 2013 to 2017, altogether 143 samples were collected from three zoos and one fauna park in Croatia and were tested for the presence of Chlamydiaceae and C. psittaci. Out of them, 12 were so called triple or cloacal swabs and the remaining were combined fecal samples. Fecal samples originated from a single bird or from up to 50 birds, kept as a single flock. The birds belonged to the orders Accipitriformes, Anseriformes, Columbiformes, Ciconiiformes, Galliformes, Gruiformes, Musophagidae, Passeriformes, Piciformes, Psittaciformes and Strigiformes. The samples were examined in the Laboratory for Chlamydia (CHLAMlab), at the Department of Poultry Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine University of Zagreb. The DNA was extracted by using Gene Elute Mammalian kit (Sigma, USA) and examined by reealtime PCR for Chlamydiaceae 23S rRNA gene, C. psittaci incA gene, and C. gallinacea enoA gene. Out of 143 examined samples, 34 were found positive for Chlamydiaceae (23.77%). The majority of positive birds belonged to the orders Psittaciformes (15) and Galliformes (7). None of the samples were found positive for C. psittaci. One sample originated from the gallinaceous bird were found positive for C. gallinacea. The presence of 23.77% Chlamydiaceae positive samples confirm the need for further investigation and identification of new Chlamydiaceae species with possible zoonotic potential among captive birds in close contact with humans.

Chlamydiaceae, birds, zoo

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