Prevalence of Chlamydia psittaci in different cat populations in Britain

Abstract

The prevalence of Chlamydia psittaci infection in household, feral and farm cats in Britain was investigated. Chlamydia were isolated from 30 per cent of conjunctival swabs collected from 753 household cats with conjunctivitis. The prevalence of active chlamydial infection was highest in cats in the age group five weeks to nine months. Males were more frequently infected than females. Cats with chlamydial conjunctivitis usually had antibody titres greater than 1024 as assessed by indirect immunofluorescence. Chlamydia appeared to be endemic in two out of three feral cat colonies on the basis of serological evidence and occasional isolations. Cats on 10 of 22 sheep farms (45 per cent) had serological evidence of chlamydial infection, and this was confirmed on two farms by isolation of the organism from conjunctival and, or, rectal swabs. This is the first survey of infection with Chlamydia psittaci in cat populations in Britain.

Recent Epidemiological Status of Feline Upper Respiratory Infections in Japan.

“…They all typically suffered from conjunctivitis, and the second most frequent clinical sign was rhinitis found in 6 cats. The present prevalence rate (26.9%) was as high as those reported in Australia [28], Britain [16,29], Canada [14], Japan [6,21], New Zealand [7], and the U.S. [19] where cats with the URI or ocular disease were subjects of investigation. In contrast, the prevalence in healthy cat population was relatively low [8].…”

Dna Detection and Evaluation of Antibodies Against Chlamydophila Felis in Domestic Cats From the Northeast of the State of São Paulo, Brazil

“…In relation to the comparison of the two serological techniques, our data corroborate previous reports (Wills et al 1988, Griffiths et al 1996, Markey et al 1993) that compared IFA with CFT, showing that CFT is specific (100%), but it is not a sensitive (9.5%) method to search for anti-Chlamydophila spp antibodies in domestic cats, since cats showing IFA titers greater than 1024 may not have detectable complement-fixation antibodies to Chlamydia. Predictive values suggest that IFA can be used in routine testing and research procedures.…”

“…However, in England and Sweden, only 9.1% and 11% of the animals, respectively, were IFA-positive (Gunn-Moore et al 1995, Holst et al 2006. Among unvaccinated cats with clinical signs (G2), 68.89% (31/45) were IFApositive, as also reported by Wills et al (1988), who found 60% (69/116) of IFA-positive animals. In unvaccinated cats, paired serology in IFA can confirm diagnosis of C. felis infection.…”

“…The great disadvantage of serological methods is that results only indicate previous exposure to the agent, not necessarily the presence of active infection (Wills et al 1988). In fact, detection of active infection is important to prevent the spread of the disease to other cats and to monitor the effectiveness of a treatment (McDonald et al 1998).…”

Seroepidemiological Investigation of Feline Chlamydiosis in Cats and Humans in Japan

“…Our previous seroepidemiological surveys indicated that the prevalence rates of feline chlamydiosis were 2.1 to 34.4% in Japan (7,18). The prevalences in other countries have been variously reported to be 5.3 to 69% (5,11,30). Circumstantial evidence indicated that human beings may be infected with feline C. psittaci and develop conjunctivitis (22) and serious systemic infection (19).…”