Bacterial Zoonoses Unit, French Food Safety Agency, 94706 Maisons-Alfort, France.
Infect Genet Evol. 2009 Dec;9(6):1240-7. doi: 10.1016/j.meegid.2009.08.005. Epub 2009 Aug 26.
Three cases of atypical pneumonia in individuals working at a poultry slaughterhouse prompted an epidemiological survey in 10 poultry farms that had supplied birds. Using a Chlamydiaceae-specific real-time PCR assay, chlamydial agents were detected in 14 of 25 investigated flocks. Rather unexpectedly, Chlamydophila psittaci was identified only in one of the positive flocks, whereas ArrayTube DNA microarray testing indicated the presence of a new, so far unclassified member of the genus Chlamydophila. For further characterization of the agent involved, positive cloacal swabs were used to inoculate embryonated chicken eggs and isolates were obtained from 6 different flocks. Sequencing of 16S rRNA genes revealed nearly identical sequences of all samples. Alignment with representative sequences of Chlamydiaceae showed the separate position of the present strains outside the currently recognized species of Chlamydophila, but clearly within this genus. In contrast, partial ompA gene sequences displayed considerable diversity among the isolates, which had already been observed in restriction enzyme analysis of ompA PCR products. These data suggest that each farm had been infected with a different strain of this new chlamydial agent, the zoonotic potential and the exact taxonomic status of which have yet to be defined.
三家在禽类屠宰场工作的个体出现非典型性肺炎，促使对供应禽类的 10 家禽类养殖场进行了流行病学调查。使用衣原体属特异性实时 PCR 检测法，在 25 个调查禽类中，14 个禽类检测出衣原体属病原体。出人意料的是，仅在一个阳性禽类中检测到鹦鹉热衣原体，而 ArrayTube DNA 微阵列检测表明，存在一种新型、尚未分类的衣原体属成员。为了进一步鉴定相关病原体，从阳性泄殖腔拭子中接种鸡胚，并从 6 个不同的禽类中获得分离株。16S rRNA 基因测序显示所有样本的序列几乎完全相同。与衣原体科的代表性序列进行比对，表明目前的菌株与现有的衣原体属种分开，但明确属于该属。相比之下，部分 ompA 基因序列显示分离株之间存在相当大的多样性，这在 ompA PCR 产物的限制性内切酶分析中已经观察到。这些数据表明，每个农场都感染了这种新型衣原体的不同菌株，其人畜共患潜力和确切的分类地位尚未确定。
