Infectious keratoconjunctivitis (IKC) is a highly contagious ocular inflammatory condition, which is often reported in domestic small and large ruminants. Multiple infectious aetiologies are reported to be involved, but information about the role of certain fastidious bacterial pathogens such as chlamydiae and mycoplasmas is limited in India. Hence, this study was performed to determine the role of these pathogens and their identification by molecular approach. A total of 53 samples from 31 ovine, 14 caprine and eight bovine having clinical symptoms were collected and tested using species-specific PCR tests for chlamydiae and mycoplasmas followed by nucleotide sequence analysis. The results showed 77.41, 14.29 and 25% samples were chlamydiae positive in ovine, caprine and bovine, respectively, whereas 41.93, 14.29 and 37.5% prevalence of mycoplasma infection was detected in ovine, caprine and bovines, respectively. Chlamydophila abortus, Chlamydophila psittaci, Mycoplasma arginini and Mycoplasma hyorhinis were detected from tested samples. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time these species are identified in IKC cases from India. Coinfection of both chlamydial and mycoplasmal species was detected in eight IKC cases of ovine which suggest synergistic roles played by both chlamydiae and mycoplasma in IKC samples.

Background and Aim:Animal chlamydiosis, caused by different chlamydial species, is characterized by clinical or subclinical disease manifestations in cattle, buffalo, ovine, caprine and wild animal species. Animal chlamydiosis often remains underdiagnosed or undiagnosed, and its status in many parts of India is still unknown. Hence, the present study was conducted to determine the seroprevalence of animal chlamydiosis amongst ruminant livestock species of five states of India.Materials and Methods:Totally, 2127 randomly selected serum samples collected from ruminant livestock species viz. cattle (n=430), buffaloes (n=429), sheep (906) and goats (n=362), were tested by agar gel precipitation test for chlamydiosis between 2002 and 2011. Precipitating antigen was prepared from locally isolated strain of Chlamydia psittaci after treatment with sodium deoxycholate.Results:The chlamydial seroprevalence detected amongst ruminants in five states of India was: Himachal Pradesh: Cattle-10.90%, sheep-10.60% and goats- 22.46%; Punjab: Cattle-1.45%; Andhra Pradesh: Cattle-2.80%, buffaloes-0.93%, sheep-8.90% and goats-9.46%; Maharashtra: goats-8.33%; Jammu and Kashmir: sheep-12.50%. The mean seroprevalence values of each animal species are: Cattle-4.65%, buffaloes-0.93%, sheep-9.82% and goats-19.33%.Conclusion:The results indicate the endemic nature of animal chlamydiosis across five states in India. Hence, it requires further extensive studies in other parts of India also using chlamydial species-specific diagnostics to ascertain overall countrywide prevalence of the disease. The zoonotic nature of the chlamydiae of ruminant origin further adds significance to such prevalence studies.

The present investigation was conducted to study the prevalence and molecular characterization of chlamydiae associated with the respiratory infections of equines in the Sub-Himalayan region of India. Equine nasal swab samples (119) from 20 diseased and 99 apparently healthy equines were collected and tested by family Chlamydiaceae specific nested PCR based on ompA gene, besides 89 serum samples for AGPT. The molecular characterization of chlamydial species/strains was done by analyzing variation in VD II region of ompA gene. The chlamydia infections were detected in 48.74% of the nasal swabs (55% in diseased and 47.47% in apparently healthy animals) by nested PCR. Prevalence of two genetically variant strains of Chlamydia abortus and a single strain of Chlamydia psittaci was detected. AGPT showed 4.49% seropositive equines. High prevalence of chlamydiae was found among equines in the Sub-Himalayan region of India in Himachal Pradesh in both healthy and diseased equines.

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