Evidence of non-psittaci Chlamydia in parrots in captivity in Venezuela

Abstract

<em>Chlamydia psittaci (Cp)</em> is an obligate intracellular bacterium that causes avian chlamydiosis, capable of infecting more than 460 bird species. However, since 2008, other chlamydial species have been identified in free-living and captive birds. This study aimed to identify a segment of the 16s rDNA gene of Cp using nested polymerase chain reaction in two Psittacidae birds of the genus <em>Ara ararauna</em> and <em>Ara chloropterus</em> from a zoo in Venezuela. The results revealed that these birds did not have DNA compatible with Cp, but they did have for the <em>Chlamydiaceae</em> family. Thus, the paper evidences the presence of another possible chlamydial species in the sampled <em>Ara</em> in an asymptomatic carrier state. These birds were confiscated and their origin was unknown. These factors favor infection by another species of <em>Chlamydia</em>. Although the resulting polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products were not sequenced, there is a high probability of being a non-<em>psittaci</em> <em>Chlamydia</em>, because a large number of reports on a global scale affirm the transmission capacity of the rest of the species in birds. In this sense, it is necessary to report chlamydial findings in order to study their pathogenic capacity in new reservoirs, zoonotic risk, and the protection of wildlife and animals in captivity, mainly those at risk of extinction