Epidemic Intelligence Service, Division of Scientific Education and Professional Development, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Office of Communicable Disease Epidemiology, Washington State Department of Health, Shoreline, Washington, USA.
Zoonoses Public Health. 2023 Sep;70(6):572-577. doi: 10.1111/zph.13045. Epub 2023 May 8.
Chlamydia psittaci is a bacterium that causes chlamydiosis in birds and can cause zoonotic psittacosis in people. In November 2017, we received notification of a suspected case of avian chlamydiosis in a captive cockatiel (Nymphicus hollandicus) that was sold by an online pet bird retail and breeding facility in Washington State. We describe the investigation with emphasis on how environmental sampling was used to guide veterinary and public health interventions. Bird samples were collected either from pooled droppings, pooled plumage or individual nasal and choanal swabs. Environmental samples were obtained by swabbing cleaning mops, tables and cage structures. All samples were tested by polymerase chain reaction and positive samples underwent genotyping. Approximately 1000 birds representing four taxonomic orders were kept within an open-space warehouse. Eight of 14 environmental samples and one of two pooled faecal samples were positive for Chlamydia spp. The contaminating strain of Chlamydia spp. was identified as genotype A. The facility was closed for environmental disinfection, and all psittacines were treated with oral doxycycline for 45 days. Ten of 10 environmental and two of two pooled faecal samples were negative for C. psittaci 11 months after the completion of environmental disinfection and antimicrobial treatment. This investigation highlights the importance of preventing and mitigating pathogen incursion in an online pet retail and breeding facility. Environmental sampling is valuable to guide animal and public health interventions for control of C. psittaci, particularly when large numbers of birds are exposed to the pathogen.
鹦鹉热衣原体是一种存在于鸟类中的细菌，可引起鸟类衣原体病，并导致人类发生鹦鹉热。2017 年 11 月，我们接到通知，称华盛顿州一家网上宠物鸟零售和繁殖机构出售的一只圈养的玄凤鹦鹉（Nymphicus hollandicus）疑似患有衣原体病。我们描述了这一调查，重点介绍了如何通过环境采样来指导兽医和公共卫生干预。采集鸟类样本的方法为：对粪便或羽毛进行混样采集，或对单个鼻拭子和咽拭子进行采集。环境样本通过擦拭清洁拖把、桌子和笼子结构获得。所有样本均通过聚合酶链反应进行检测，阳性样本进行基因分型。大约 1000 只代表四个分类顺序的鸟类被饲养在一个露天仓库中。14 个环境样本中有 8 个，2 个粪便混合样本中有 1 个为衣原体属阳性。污染的衣原体属菌株被鉴定为 A 型。该设施已关闭进行环境消毒，所有长尾鹦鹉都接受了 45 天的口服强力霉素治疗。环境消毒和抗菌治疗完成 11 个月后，10 个环境样本和 2 个粪便混合样本中的 2 个再次检测出 C. psittaci 为阴性。该调查强调了防止和减轻在线宠物零售和繁殖设施中病原体入侵的重要性。环境采样对于指导动物和公共卫生干预以控制 C. psittaci 非常有价值，特别是当大量鸟类接触病原体时。
