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Abstract
Chlamydiaceae are obligatory intracellular bacteria causing acute and chronic diseases in animals and humans worldwide, with recently discovered species with a still unclear pathogenic potential (i.e., C. gallinacea). In Italy, Chlamydiaceae infections are underestimated both in animals and humans. To estimate the prevalence of Chlamydiaceae species in poultry and occupationally exposed workers on farm, a cross-sectional study was carried out in north-western Italy. A total of 2063 samples from 83 commercial and 31 backyard poultry farms were analysed using real-time PCRs for Chlamydiaceae screening and species typing. Chlamydiaceae were detected in 23 farms, with a herd prevalence of 20.2% (95%CI: 13.2–28.7), higher in backyard farms (38.7%; 95%CI: 21.8–57.8) compared to commercial ones (13.3%; 95%CI: 6.8–22.5). C. gallinacea was found in 18 chicken farms, both commercial and backyard, and C. psittaci only in 3 backyard farms. Exposure to wild birds and factors related to biosecurity resulted the main risk factors associated with Chlamydia positivity. Out of the 113 sputum samples collected from farmers, 16 tested positive to Chlamydiaceae, with a prevalence of 14.2% (95%CI: 8, 3–22). To the best of our knowledge, for the first time at international level, C. gallinacea was detected in humans with farmer positivity associated with farm infectious status, suggesting a bird-to-human transmission.
Highlights
A total of 2063 cloacal samples were collected from domestic poultry, 1518 of which were from 83 commercial farms and 545 from 31 backyard farms, representing 73 and 27%
Of the 16 DNAs from human samples tested, MLST typing of 44638h_89 yielded a new sequence type (ST) identical to that detected on the same farm in poultry, while a new ST was observed for 71895h_22
The phylogenetic tree constructed from the concatenated MLST sequences shows a distribution of these STs among the STs identified so far from Asia and Europe, without a specific distribution that could correspond to Italy (Figure 7)
Summary
The obligate intracellular bacteria Chlamydia (spp.) are the aetiological agents of chlamydiosis in wild and domestic birds, mammals, and humans [1]. Due to their intrinsic high genetic diversity, the taxonomic classification within the family Chlamydiaceae in the Chlamydiales order is constantly evolving following the identification of new chlamydial strains, mainly of avian origin. According to very recent findings in flamingos, the family. Chlamydiaceae, so far composed by the single genus Chlamydia, including 14 recognised species, appears to be enriched with a new proposed genus Chlamydiifrater gen.
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