ABSTRACT
Chlamydia-related bacteria of the Chlamydiales order have recently been described as emerging pathogens that cause pneumonia and abortion in animals and humans. We investigated the presence of Chlamydiales using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) by targeting the 16S rRNA gene of a broad range of Chlamydiales in 827 fecal samples from pet birds kept in individual homes in Japan. Of the 827 samples, 493 (59.6%) tested positive for the Chlamydiales 16S rRNA gene in the real-time PCR assay. We determined the nucleic acid sequences of PCR products from 17 Chlamydiales strains. A homology search and phylogenetic analysis using these sequences confirmed that the detected Chlamydiales included C. pecorum and a broad range of Chlamydia-related bacteria. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to detect a wide range of Chlamydia-related bacteria in birds.
Subject(s)
Chlamydiales , Humans , Pregnancy , Female , Animals , Chlamydiales/genetics , RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics , RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/analysis , Phylogeny , Japan/epidemiology , Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction/veterinary , DNA, Bacterial/geneticsABSTRACT
Wild carnivores serve as reservoirs of several zoonotic Bartonella species such as Bartonella henselae, Bartonella vinsonii subsp. berkhoffii, and Bartonella rochalimae. The raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides viverrinus) is the most common native carnivore in Japan, but epidemiologic studies of Bartonella infections have not been performed in this animal species yet. Here, we report a molecular survey of B. rochalimae prevalence in 619 wild raccoon dogs captured from 2009 to 2017 in western Japan. Bartonella rochalimae DNA was detected in 7.1% (44/619) of the raccoon dogs examined by PCR targeting the rpoB and ssrA genes. All of the sequences obtained were identical in each of the genes. The prevalence of B. rochalimae by sex of the animals was 6.1% (21/344) in male and 8.4% (23/275) in female. The prevalence by year varied from 2% (1/45) in 2011 to 14% (4/28) in 2016. The prevalence (7.9%) of B. rochalimae in the raccoon dogs with sarcoptic mange tended to be higher than the prevalence (4.0%) in the animals without the infestation of mites, although the differences were not significant. Sequence analysis indicated that Japanese raccoon dogs in the area examined were infected with B. rochalimae carrying identical sequences in the rpoB and ssrA genes. In addition, the raccoon dog strain had few sequence variations in both genes compared to other known B. rochalimae strains detected in other parts of the world.
Subject(s)
Bartonella/isolation & purification , Raccoon Dogs/microbiology , Animals , Bartonella/genetics , DNA, Bacterial/genetics , Female , Japan , Male , Phylogeny , Prevalence , Raccoon Dogs/parasitology , Scabies/veterinaryABSTRACT
More than 70 egrets and herons were found sick or dead at an agricultural water reservoir in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan between September and October 2008. The birds showed weakness, lethargy, and inability to fly before death. Postmortem findings included large amounts of firm subcutaneous and cavitary fat comprised of necrotic adipose tissues with infiltrates of heterophils and macrophages. The birds were diagnosed with steatitis on the basis of the gross lesions and histopathology. Egrets with steatitis had low blood levels of vitamin E. High counts of cyanobacteria (Microcystis aeruginosa) were found in the reservoir concurrent with the outbreak of steatitis. No microcystin was detected in the reservoir water or the livers from the egrets. This is the first report of steatitis in wild birds in Japan.
