Estudo clínico-molecular de Chlamydophila psittaci em calopsitas de criadouro comercial: uma abordagem com PCR em pool para zoonose

Abstract

Birds of the species Nymphicus hollandicus (Calopsita) are domestic animals commonly kept as pets and are therefore raised close to humans. Therefore, it is important to study the health status of these animals, especially when it comes to zoonotic diseases. The objective of this study is to detect contamination by Chlamydophila psittaci in birds from a commercial breeding facility using the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) laboratory method, as well as to correlate the symptomatic or asymptomatic status of the disease, pointing out the main clinical signs presented by the affected birds. For this, 23 birdsfrom a commercial breeder were selected and blood samples, choana swabs, cloaca swabs were collected, in addition to visual assessment and detection of clinical signs compatible with the disease. With the study, we sought to identify the number of animals carrying Chlamydophila psittaci in the samples and whether they present any noticeable signs in a visual assessment. Of the 23 birds evaluated, 5 (21.7%) had ocular signs, 9 (39.1%) had changes in feathering, 2 (8.69%) had changes in feces and 3 (13.04%) had changes in body positioning. Of the 23 birds evaluated, 9 (39.1%) animals obtained a positive result in the detection of the bacteria, with 3 (13.04%) birds dying during the study, these with necropsy changes characteristic of chlamydiosis, but it was not possible to identify the presence of the bacteria, therefore 14 (60.1%) birds tested negative or suggestively. Birds that were contaminated with Chlamydophila psittaci received appropriate treatment after the study. It was observed through analyzes using a generalized linear model that in the present study there was no correlation between the different clinical signs and the detection of the bacteria in the bird.