title: Detection and identification of Chlamydophila psittaci in asymptomatic parrots in Poland.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Psittacosis, an avian disease caused by Chlamydophila psittaci, can manifest as an acute, protracted, or chronic illness, but can also be asymptomatic. C. psittaci can persist in the host for months to years, often without causing obvious illness, and therefore poses a threat for zoonotic outbreak. We investigated the prevalence of C. psittaci from 156 tracheal swab samples from 34 different species of parrots in Poland, and determined the genotype of strains from the positive samples.
  
  
  RESULTS
  An overall prevalence of 10.3% was observed using two different PCR assays, both providing similar results. Thirteen of the PCR-positive samples were genotype A, two were genotype B, and one could not be classified.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results indicate widespread dissemination of C. psittaci in Polish psittacine populations, without any clinical signs of chlamydiosis, and hence could pose a zoonotic hazard. PCR screening provided a definitive diagnosis of psittacosis, and subsequent ompA gene analysis could be helpful for better understanding the epidemiology of the C. psittaci genotypes. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of the incidence of C. psittaci in parrots in Poland.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epizootiology and Clinic of Bird and Exotic Animals, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, pl, Grunwadzki 45, Wrocław, 50-366, Poland. tomasz.piasecki@up.wroc.pl
authors.forename: Tomasz
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Piasecki
authors.forename: Klaudia
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Chrząstek
authors.forename: Alina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wieliczko
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001715:Bird Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D002691:Chlamydophila psittaci / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005838:Genotype; D010311:Parrots; D011044:Poland / Q000453:epidemiology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000662:veterinary; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D011159:Population Surveillance; D009956:Psittacosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D014132:Trachea / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial