Isolation of Chlamydia spp. from Ewes and Does in Iran

Document Type : Original Articles

Authors

1 Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

2 Department of Animal and Poultry Health and Nutrition, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Enzootic ovine abortion is caused by Chlamydia abortus and may result in abortion among small ruminants during the last 2-3 weeks of pregnancy. Enzootic abortion is diagnosed by isolation of the agent or detection of its nucleic acid in the products of abortion or vaginal excretions of freshly aborted females. Isolation of chlamydial agents in cell culture is the gold standard, so in the present study this method was employed. Twenty-eight vaginal and conjunctival swab samples were selected from ewes and does that had recently aborted. The samples were inoculated to McCoy cells. The inoculated cells were fixed, stained by Giemsa staining, and mounted on slides. Finally, the slides were observed by an optical microscope for the presence chlamydial inclusion bodies. Chlamydia was isolated from four conjunctival and three vaginal samples. All the negative cultures were passaged a further two times. Cell culture was identified as the most convenient method for the isolation of Chlamydia and remains essential to document the viability of the organism. Isolation of Chlamydia in the present study, highlights the importance of paying more attention to the bacterium as one of the main abortifacient pathogens along with other infectious causes of abortion.

Keywords

Main Subjects

Article Title [French]

Isolement des chlamydies contaminant les brebis et les chèvres en Iran

Abstract [French]

Chlamydia abortus est responsable d'avortement enzootique chez les petits ruminants dans les 2 ou 3 dernières semaines de gestation. La détection de l’avortement enzootique est possible via l’isolement des protoplastes ou le décèlement de l’acide nucléique dans les sécrétions vaginales d’un animal qui a récemment avorté. L'isolement des chlamydies après culture cellulaire représente la norme de référence utilisée pour déterminer le niveau réel de l'infection par cette bactérie. Dans cette étude, un total de 28 échantillons vaginaux et conjonctivaux a été prélevéà partir des chèvres et brebis ayant subies récemmentun avortement. Ces échantillons ont été inoculés dans des cellules McCoy. Ces dernières ont ensuite été fixées et colorées avec le Giemsa, avant d’être montées entre lame et lamelle et examinées à l'aide d'un microscope optique afin de détecter la présence éventuelle de chlamydies. La chlamydia a été isolée à partir de 4 prélèvements conjonctivaux et 3 échantillons vaginaux. Les cultures négatives ont été inoculées une seconde fois. L’isolement des chlamydies à partir de cultures cellulaires représente la méthode la plus fiable et reste essentielle pour la détection des protoplastes. Dans cette étude, l'isolement de cette bactérie chez les troupeaux étudiés montre la nécessité d'accorder une attention bien plus grande à la chlamydia ainsi qu'à d'autres protoplastes impliquées dans l'avortement.

Keywords [French]

  • avortement
  • culture cellulaire
  • Chlamydia
  • Isolement
  • petits ruminants

References

Amin, A.S., 2003. Comparison of polymerase chain reaction and cell culture for the detection of Chlamydophila species in the semen of bulls, buffalo-bulls, and rams. The Vet J 166, 86-92.
Berri, M., Rekiki, A., Boumedine, K.S., Rodolakis, A., 2009. Simultaneous differential detection of Chlamydophila abortus, Chlamydophila pecorum and Coxiella burnetii from aborted ruminant's clinical samples using multiplex PCR. BMC microb 9, 130.
De Puysseleyr, K., De Puysseleyr, L., Geldhof, J., Cox, E., Vanrompay, D., 2014. Development and validation of a real-time PCR for Chlamydia suis diagnosis in swine and humans. PLoS One 9, 1-7.
Esmaeili, H., Bolourchi, M., Mokhber-Dezfouli, M.R., 2015. Seroprevalence of Chlamydia abortus infection in sheep and goats in Iran. Iran J Vet Med 9, 73-77.
Ghorbanpoor, M., Goraninejad, S., Heydari, R., 2007. Serological study on enzootic abortion of ewes in Ahvaz, Iran. Asian J Anim Vet Adv 6, 1194-1196.
Kaltenboeck, B., Hehnen, H.-R., Vaglenov, A., 2005. Bovine Chlamydophila spp. infection: do we underestimate the impact on fertility? Vet Res Commun 29, 1-15.
Leon-Vizcaino, L., De Mendoza, M.H., Garrido, F., 1987. Incidence of abortions caused by leptospirosis in sheep and goats in Spain.  Comp Immunol Microbiol Infect Dis 10, 149-153.
Longbottom, D., Coulter, L., 2003. Animal chlamydioses and zoonotic implications. J Comp Pathol 128, 217-244.
Madan, A., Peighambari, M., Barin, A., 2011. Isolation of Chlamydophila psittaci from pet birds in Iran. Iran J Vet 5, 95-98.
Rodolakis, A., Nettleton, P. and Benkirane, A, 1998. Manual for laboratory diagnosis of infectious abortion in small ruminants, Food and agriculture organization of the united nations. 67-87.
Tabatabayi, A., Nadalian, M., 1981. [Infectious keratoconjunctivitis in sheep in Iran].[German]. Veterinary Medical Revue,  No. 2.
Vanrompay, D., 2000. Avian chlamydial diagnostics. Laboratory medicine: avian and exotic pets, WB Saunders, pp. 99-110.
Vos, P., Garrity, G., Jones, D., Krieg, N.R., Ludwig, W., Rainey, F.A., et al., 2011. Bergey's Manual of Systematic Bacteriology: Volume 3: The Firmicutes, Springer Science & Business Media.
Woodland, R., El-Sheikh, H., Darougar, S., Squires, S., 1978. Sensitivity of immunoperoxidase and immunofluorescence staining for detecting chlamydia in conjunctival scrapings and in cell culture. J Clin Pathol 31, 1073-1077.
Yoneda, C., Dawson, C., Daghfous, T., Hoshiwara, I., Jones, P., Messadi, M., et al., 1975. Cytology as a guide to the presence of chlamydial inclusions in Giemsa-stained conjunctival smears in severe endemic trachoma. Br J Ophthalmol 59, 116-124. 
Archives of Razi Institute
Volume 72, Issue 4
November and December 2017
Pages 249-253

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics