Chlamydiosis is an important zoonosis widely reported in India from different parts. Most of the outbreaks/ cases in animals are from Northern Parts of India.

1. Arati Kapdi
Division of Veterinary Public Health.
&
Bhoj R Singh
Division of Epidemiology
Indian veterinary research Institute,
Izatnagar-243 122, India

2. Synonyms
Ornithosis
PsittacosisParrot fever

3. History
 In 1893, in Paris “flu like “ disease is transmitted from parrots to
man. Nocard isolated Salmonella psittacosis, as causal agent of
psittacosis.
 In 1929- 1930, first pandemic of psittacosis in human being
occurred in USA and Europe by green Amazon parrot.
 1932-1st case of zoonotic psittacosis transmitted by chiken was
reported (Meyer)
 1940- psittacosis was recorded in domestic pigeon (Pinkerton).
 1966-Chlamydiae were identified as bacteria (not viruses).

4. Classification
Order-Chlamydiales
Family-Chlamydiaceae
Genus-
Chlamydia
Genus-
Chlamydophilla
(Everett,1998)

5. CONTINUE…..
Genus-Chlamydia (hosts) Genus- Chlamydophila (hosts)
Species Species
C. trachomatis (human) Cp. psittaci (avian)
C. suis (pig) Cp. felis (cats)
C. muridrum (mouse and hamster) Cp. abortus(sheep, goat and cattle)
Cp. caviae (guinea-pigs)
Cp. pecorum (sheep, cattle and pig)
Cp. pneumoniae (human)
(EVERETT et al.,1999; LONGBOTTOM and COULTER, 2003)

6. MICROBIOLOGY
 Obligatory intracellular bacteria
 The organism are non-motile, spherical, Gram- negative and have
a cell wall. (A. Rodolakis, K. Yousef Mohamad 2010)
 Chlamydia is a “energy parasites” (Moulder,1969)
Chlamydia psittaci

7. COMPARISON OF CHLAMYDIAL ELEMENTARY
BODY & RETICULATE BODY
Characteristic Elementary body Reticulate body
Size 0.2 -0.4 0.6-1.5
Morphology Electron dense core; rigid Fragile, pleomorphic
Infectivity to host Infectious Noninfectious
RNA:DNA Ratio 1:1 3:1
Metabolic activity Relatively inactive Active, replicating stage
Projections Few More

8. Chlamydophila
species
Principal host Clinical sign/disease
Cp. psittaci Birds Ornithosis-pneumonia, conjunctivitis,
pericarditis
Cp. abortus Sheep, goat, cattle Abortion, stillbirth, epididymitis
Cp. felis Cats Conjunctivitis, pneumonia, chronic
salpingitis
Cp. caviae Guinea-pigs Conjunctivitis, genital tract infection
Cp.
pneumoniae
Human, koala,
horses
Respiratory disease
Cp. Pecorum Ruminant, swine,
koala
Intestinal infection, conjunctivitis,
urinary tract infection,
encephalomyelitis, arthritis
( Veterinary Microbiology, 2010)

9. EPIDEMIOLOGICAL
DETERMINANT
Agent
factor
• Species
• Reservoir
Host
factor
• Age
• Sex
• Immunity
• Occupation
Environm
ental
factor
• Stress
• Management

10. MODE OF TRANSMISSION
Inhalation
-Dried infective droppings
-Secretions or dust from feathers
Direct contact
-Handling of plumage and tissue of
infected birds
-Improper disposal of infected carcasses,
aborted fetus or placenta
Trans-ovarian transmission in birds
(Diseases of Animals Transmissible
to man-D.C.Thapliyal 1999 )

11. (iiiiiiiUnrestricted entry of infected animals in farms and migration of
animals from one place to another in indiscriminate manner
Improper cleaning of utensils, equipment, bedding of cattle and
sheep farms, contaminated water and feed.
Cp. psittaci may be transmitted by lice, mites and flies.
(Longbottom and Coulter, 2003)
Intestinal tract in some species appears to be the natural habitat for
Chlamydia. (Intas Polivet, 2000)
Transmission

12. FACTORS RESPONSIBLE FOR
FACILITATED TRANSMISSION
 Incubation period : Lasts 1-2 weeks.
 The elementary form of the organism is highly resistant outside the host
and can survive in dried feces for many months.
 Latent infection are common and contagious.
 Shipping, crowding chilling, breeding and other stressful factors may
activate shedding of the infectious agent.
 Chlamydiae are distributed widely in nature, pandemics of chlamydiosis
that occurred between 1929 and 1930 involved at least 12 countries.
(Moulder, 1964). Between 1931-63 as many as countries including India
reported the occuurence of chlamydiosis. (Meyer, 1965).
 In an serological survey in India, it was found that about 34% of goats
and 28% of sheep carry antibodies against C. psittaci. (Diseases of
Animals Transmissible to man, D.C.Thapliyal, 1999)

13. SEROPREVALENCE OF
CHLAMYDIOSIS IN INDIA
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
sheep goats cattle buffaloes
69% 69%
52%
28%
Animals
(Diseases of Animals Transmissible to man-D.C.Thapliyal 1999)
Prevalence(%)

14. YEAR-WISE DISTRIBUTION OF
CHLAMYDIAL ABORTIONS IN SHEEPAND
GOATS IN IVRI, U.P.
72
17
15
0 1
3
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
1973 1974 1975
sheep
goat
Prevalence(%)
Year (Indian J. Vet. Path. 3, 6-10)

15. PREVALENCE OF CHLAMYDIOSIS
IN FERAL BIRDS IN HIMACHAL
PRADESH
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
Pigeons Parrots Crows
9.09
22.22
16.36
26.31
18.18
1995
1997
Prevalence(%)
Birds (J. Appl. Anim. Res., 1997)

16. YEAR-WISE, OUTBREAKS OF
CHLAMYDIAL ABORTION IN GOAT
FLOCK AT CSBF, AVIKANAGAR
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
1977 1978 1979 1980
20
7.64
5.86 5.84
goat
Prevalence(%)
Year (Sharma and Lonkar 1982)

17. OUTBREAK OF CHLAMYDIOSIS AMONG
MIGRATORY SHEEPAND GOATS IN
HIMACHAL PRADESH-1996
Species Disease
condition
Type of samples
collected
No. of positive
Samples/No. of
samples collected
Ovine Abortion Vaginal swabs 3/6
Weak lambing -do- 3/3
Caprine Abortion Vaginal swabs 8/14
Weak lambing -do- 3/3
Enteritis Fecal swabs 5/7
Intestinal pieces 2/2
Pneumonia Lung pieces 2/2
Mastitis Mastitis milk 1/3
(Indian J. Comp. Microbiol. Immunol. Infect. Dis. Vol.17, 1996)

18. CHLAMYDIOSIS IN ANIMALS AND BIRDS
IN HIMACHAL PRADESH -2001
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
44.16
63.63
27.27
55.12 53.57
85.71
50.98
53.57
33.77
Prevalence(%)
Animals and Birds
(Indian Journal of Animal Sciences, 2001 )

19. SERO-PREVALENCE OF CHLAMYDIOSIS
AMONG ANIMALS OF HIMACHAL PRADESH
26.71
32.7
21.62
18.34
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
SHEEP GOAT BUFFALO COW
2002
(Indian Journal of Animal Sciences, 2002; Indian Vet. J., 2002)
Prevalence(%)

20. ISOLATION OF C.PSITTACI FROM CERVIDAE
IN NORTH-WESTERN HIMALAYAN REGION
Common
name
Zoological
name
Sample processed Successful
isolation
Tissue Faecal Total Tissue Faecal Total
Barking deer Muntiacus
muntjak
0 14 14 0 3 3
Hog deer Axis porcinus O 9 9 0 0 0
Musk deer Moschus
chrysogaster
0 3 3 0 1 1
Sambhar Cervus unicolor 4 24 28 3 6 9
Spotted deer Axis axis 0 1 1 0 0 0
Total 4 51 55 3 10 13
(Indian J. Comp. Microbiol. Immunol. Infect.Dis., 2005)

21. SEROPREVALENCE OF CHLAMYDIA
PSITTACI IN SHEEPAND GOATS IN
HARYANA STATE
Year Sheep Goats
1971 8.08% 4.45%
1979 23.53% 22.45%
Breed No, positive/
No. tested
Percentage
Exotic (Rambouillet) 4/52 7.7%
Crossbreed
Nali x Rambouillet
(NR)
3/26 11.5%
Sonadi x Corriedale
(SX)
5/64 7.8%
Total 12/142 8.5%
Serum samples from sheep and goats –Hissar
and Karnal.
Sera from 7 rams from Bhubaneshwar (Orissa)
Sera from 11 goats from Avikanagar(Rajasthan)
(Indian J. Anim. Sci 50(9),Sept.1980 )
Blood sample from exotic
and crossbred rams from the
Central Sheep Breeding
Farm, Hissar
(Indian J. Anim. Sci, 1999 )

22. SERO-EVIDENCE OF CHLAMYDIOSIS
AMONG LIVESTOCK DURING 2002
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Bovines Ewes Rams Goats Pigs
82.9
95.2
100
89
69.2 Hyderabad(andhra
Pradesh)
Vijaywada(Andhra
pradesh)
Ludhiana (Punjab)
Palampur(Himachal
Pradesh)
(Indian journal of
Animal Science, 2004)
Animal
Prevalence(%)

23. PREVALENCE OF CHLAMYDIOSIS
IN DIFFERENT STATES
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
85.2
77
27.2 25.7
Prevalence
state
Prevalence(%)
(Indian journal of
Animal Science, 2004)

24. Himachal Pradesh
14.73%
Andhra Pradesh
4.91%
Jammu &
Kashmir
12.5%
Maharashtra
8.33%
Punjab
1.45%
Seroprevalence of
chlamydiosis in different
states during 2002-2011
(Veterinary World, EISSN:
2231-0916)

25. MEAN SEROPREVALENCE VALUES
OF EACH ANIMAL SPECIES
4.65
0.93
9.82
19.33
0
5
10
15
20
25
cattle buffaloes sheep goat
Prevalence(%)
Animals
(Veterinary World, EISSN: 2231-0916)

26. CHLAMYDIOSIS IN SPITI PONIES OF
HIMACHAL PRADESH
 Of 29 serum sample of Spiti ponies (20 females and 9 males)
from an organized farm at Kamand, District Mandi, having
history of abortions, two (6.89%) serum samples from aborted
mares were positive for Chlamydia psittaci. ( Centaur, 2007 )
 The sero-prevalence of Chlamydia psittaci in horses and mules
in Himachal Pradesh was observed to be 16.66 and 23.80 per
cent respectively. ( Katoch and Sharma, 2006 )

27. SEROPREVALENCE OF CHLAMYDIOSIS
IN ARUNACHAL PRADESH DURING 2009
 On analysis of Serum samples randomly collected from 172 free-
ranging yak from six different yak tracts of Arunachal Pradesh
overall prevalence of chlamydiosis in yak is 35%.
 The prevalence of Cp. Abortus specific antibodies was
significantly higher in yak cows (41%) than among bulls (25%).
( Rev Sci Tech. 2009 )

28. DIAGNOSIS
 Microscopic examination
 Culture technique
 Histopathologic findings
 Tests for Antibody Detection
- Direct Complement-Fixation (CF) Test
- Elementary-Body Agglutination (EBA)
- Agar Gel Precipitation Test
 Tests for Antigen Detection
-Immunofluorescent-Staining Tests
-Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA)
Polymerase chain reaction

29. TREATMENT
 Tetracycline or fluoroquinolones (e.g., enrofloxacin) are generally
the drugs of choice.
 Chlortetracycline is the drug of choice for treatment to eliminate
clinical disease and fecal shedding.
 Infected birds should receive 0.5% chlortetracycline in cooked
mash or pelletted feed continuously for at least 45 days.
(ARNSTEIN and MEYER, 1968)

30. VACCINE
 No vaccine is available for avian chlamydiosis.
 Both live (Ovilis Enzoowax ® or Cevac® Chlamydia) and
inactivated vaccines for Cp. abortus have been developed.
( Rodolakis, 2010 )

31. PREVENTION AND CONTROL
 Take measures to protect persons at high risk from becoming infected.
 Maintain accurate records of all bird-related transactions.
 Do not purchase or sell birds that have signs of AC.
 Practice preventive husbandry.
 Prevent the spread of infection.
 Proper disposal of carcass.
 Use disinfection measures.
 1:1,000 dilution of quaternary ammonium compounds.
 70% isopropyl alcohol
 1% Lysol
 1:100 dilution of household bleach
 Chlorophenols
( CDC, 1998 )

32. CONCLUSION
 Chlamydiosis is emerging zoonotic disease.
 It is widely prevalent among domestic and wild animals
and birds in some states of India.
 Heavy economic loss due to occasional outbreak.
 It can be prevented by
o Proper hygienic measure,
o Regular testing of animals and birds
o Separation of the infected animals and birds
o Quarantine of new animal and birds before entering in
the farm.

33. MORE ABOUT INDIAN SCENARIO
Year Animals State Reference
1985 Sero-prevalence of
chlamydiosis in sheep,
goats, cattle and
buffaloes
PAU, Ludhiana,
Punjab
Indian J. Comp.
Microbiol. Immunol.
Infect. Dis., 1985
1986 Perinatal chlamydiosis
in sheep and goats
Regional station
IVRI, Palampur
(H.P.)
Indian J. Comp.
Microbiol. Immunol.
Infect. Dis., 1986
1988 Outbreak of Chlamydial
pneumonia in Gaddi
Goats
Himachal
Pradesh
Indian J. Comp.
Microbiol. Immunol.
Dis., 1988
1988 Chlamydial
conjunctivitis in Jersey
calves
Regional station
IVRI, Palampur
(H.P.)
Indian Journal of
Animal Sciences,
1988

34. CONTINUE…..
Year Animals States Reference
1993 Chlamydiosis in
birds
PAU, Ludhiana,
Punjab
Indian Journal of
Animal Science, 1993
1993 Chlamydiosis in
calves–one month of
age having diarrhoea
and pyrexia
Regional station
IVRI, Palampur
(H.P.)
Indian Journal of
Veterinary Pathology,
1993
1995 Chlamydiosis in
goats
Hyderabad
(Andhra Pradesh)
Indian Vet. J., 1998
1996 Chlamydia psittaci
in pneumonic lung
specimens from
sheep and goats
Himachal Pradesh
Krishi
Vishvavidyalaya,
Palampur, H.P.
Indian J. Comp.
Microbiol. Immunol.
Infect. Dis., 1996

35. CONTINUE….
Year Animals States References
1997 Isolation of Cp. psittaci
from domestic poultry
Palampur (H.P.) Indian J. Poult.
Sci., 1997
1997 Screening of rats(3/12),
wall lizards(10) and
frogs(14) for prevalence
of Cp. psittaci
Himachal Pradesh
Krishi
Vishvavidyalaya,
Palampur, H.P.
Indian Journal of
Animal Sciences,
1997
1997 Two out of five (40%)
sera from dogs harboured
antibodies to Cp. psittaci
Himachal Pradesh
Krishi
Vishvavidyalaya,
Palampur, H.P.
Indian Journal of
Animal Sciences,
1997

36. CONTINUE….
Year Animals States Reference
1998 Role of sexual
transmission of
Chlamydial infection
Central Sheep
Breeding Farm,
Hisar
INTAS
POLYVET,
2000
2000 Chlamydiosis among
domestic poultry and
Wild carriers
Himachal Pradesh
Krishi
Vishvavidyalaya,
Palampur, H.P.
Indian Journal
of Animal
Sciences, 2000
2000 Concurrent oubreak of
chlamydiosis and
aflatoxicosis among
chickens.C.psittaci
is30%(6/20) birds
Himachal Pradesh
Krishi
Vishvavidyalaya,
Palampur, H.P.
INTAS
POLYVET,
2002

37. CONTINUE……..
Year Animals States Reference
2002 Evidence of chlamydiosis
among dairy animals with
reproductive problem is 8
animals out of 106
samples
Himachal Pradesh
Krishi
Vishvavidyalaya,
Palampur, H.P.
INTAS
POLYVET, 2002
2003 Seroprevalence of
chlamydial infections
among buffaloes is 18 out
of 207 samples
Himachal Pradesh Buffalo Bulletin,
2003