16 research outputs found
Innate immune response in avian macrophages elicited by Chlamydia psittaci
Chlamydia psittaci is a gram-negative, obligate, intracellular bacterium, which mainly infects birds and mammals. Not much is known about innate immunity initiated by C. psittaci. The focus of the present study is on chicken macrophage activation and expression of cytokine, chemokine, caspase-1, iNOS and TLR genes during the early phase and mid-cycle period of the developmental cycle of the highly virulent C. psittaci strain 92/1293. C. psittaci significantly augmented the transcript levels for all genes investigated, especially during the mid-cycle period. These results demonstrate a robust innate immune response of chicken macrophages initiated by a C. psittaci infection
Influence of the Chlamydia psittaci type III secretion system on the innate immune response of chicken macrophages
Influence of the Chlamydia psittaci type III secretion system on the innate immune response of chicken macrophages
Emerging Chlamydia psittaci infections in chickens and examination of transmission to humans
Chlamydia psittaci and atypical Chlamydiaceae infections are (re)-emerging in chickens. We therefore examined the prevalence of C. psittaci, atypical Chlamydiaceae and their zoonotic transmission on 19 Belgian chicken farms. Atypical Chlamydiaceae were not detected in chickens but 18 out of 19 farms were positive for C. psittaci by culture and PCR. C. psittaci ompA genotypes A and D were discovered. None of the examined humans (n = 31) was infected with atypical Chlamydiaceae, but 29 (93.5%) of them were positive for C. psittaci by culture and PCR. Genotypes A, D and a mixed infection with genotypes C and D were found. Humans (n = 2) working at the C. psittaci-negative farm never had respiratory complaints, while 25 out of 29 positive farmers (86.2%) reported yearly medical complaints potentially related to psittacosis. Four of them currently experienced respiratory disease and one of them was being treated with antibiotics. Four farmers (12.5%) mentioned that they had pneumonia after starting to keep chickens. Occupational physicians should be aware of emerging Chlamydiaceae infections in chickens
Chlamydia psittaci and atypical chicken Chlamydiaceae infections in broilers and examination of transmission to humans
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