Naslov
Prevalence of C. psittaci in avian samples collected in pet shops in Croatia

Autori
Horvatek Tomić, Danijela ; Gottstein, Željko ; Lukač, Maja ; Quilicot, Ana Marquiza ; Prukner-Radovcic, Estella

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Sažeci sa skupova, sažetak, znanstveni

Izvornik
Proceedings Eight Meeting of the European Society for Chlamydia Research / O'Neill, Colette ; Clarke, Ian ; Horner, Patrick ; Van der Pol, Barbara - Oxford, 2016, 119-119

Skup
Eight Meeting of the European Society for Chlamydia Research

Mjesto i datum
Oxford, Ujedinjeno Kraljevstvo, 06.09.2016. - 09.09.2016

Vrsta sudjelovanja
Poster

Vrsta recenzije
Međunarodna recenzija

Ključne riječi
C. psittaci; avian samples; pet shops

Sažetak
Background / introduction Birds, especially parrots, are one of the most popular pets in Croatia, but they can harbour Chlamydia, especially C. psittaci, potential zoonotic agents with a great significance for human and animal health. Birds are mainly sold through pet shops, presenting a possible source of infection for employees and buyers. Objectives In Croatia it is obligatory to test the birds in the pet shops for the presence of C. psittaci. The aim of this study was to detect the prevalence of C. psittaci in samples taken from the pet shops, to determine the potential risk for both human and birds’ health. Method During the five-year period (2011-2015) altogether 485 samples from pet shops were submitted for the testing of the presence of C. psittaci. The samples obtained were pooled faecal samples, containing faeces of different bird species, currently present in the examined stores. The DNA was extracted by using commercially available kit. The extracted DNA were examined by specific Chlamydiaceae real-time PCR targeting the 23S rRNA gene, and C. psittaci-specific real-time PCR targeting the incA gene. Results Altogether 34 samples were found positive (7.01%) over the examined time period. The majority of positive samples belonged to different parrot species. It is evident that the number of positive samples varied over the years, from 4 in 2014 up to 11 in 2015, which represents 3.36% to 9.09% of positive samples, respectively. Genotyping of C. psittaci is still in progress, to reveal the presence of different genotypes in examined bird species. During these 5 years, in three workers and in one parrot owner psittacosis was confirmed. Conclusions The occurrence of C. psittaci in faecal samples collected in different pet shops all over Croatia suggests potential breeder but also environmental contamination and may raise public health concern. The increasing number of positive samples in 2015 confirm the necessity for obligatory testing of pet shops all over the country.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Javno zdravstvo i zdravstvena zaštita, Veterinarska medicina

POVEZANOST RADA