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1 April 2014 CHLAMYDIACEAE AND CHLAMYDIA-LIKE ORGANISMS IN FREE-LIVING SMALL MAMMALS IN EUROPE AND AFGHANISTAN
Sarah Stephan, Diogo Guerra, Andreas Pospischil, Monika Hilbe, Herbert Weissenböck, Ladislav Novotný, Gilbert Greub, Antony Croxatto, Jens Peter Teifke, Rainer G. Ulrich, Mathias Schlegel, Silke Ruhl, Ulrich Schotte, Alfred Binder, Sabine Sauer, Nicole Borel
Author Affiliations +
Abstract

Few data are available on the occurrence of chlamydial infections in wild small mammals. We investigated the significance of free-living small mammals as reservoirs or transmission hosts for microorganisms of the phylum/class Chlamydiae. We obtained 3,664 tissue samples from 911 animals in Switzerland, Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, and Afghanistan. Samples included internal organs (n = 3,652) and feces (n = 12) from 679 rodents (order Rodentia) and 232 insectivores (order Soricomorpha) and were tested by three TaqMan® real-time PCRs specific for members of the family Chlamydiaceae and selected Chlamydia-like organisms such as Parachlamydia spp. and Waddlia spp. Only one of 911 (0.11%) animals exhibited a questionable positive result by Chlamydiaceae-specific real-time PCR. Five of 911 animals were positive by specific real-time PCR for Parachlamydia spp. but could not be confirmed by quantitative PCR targeting the Parachlamydia acanthamoebae secY gene (secY qPCR). One of 746 animals (0.13%) was positive by real-time PCR for Waddlia chondrophila. This result was confirmed by Waddlia secY qPCR. This is the first detection of Chlamydia-like organisms in small wildlife in Switzerland. Considering previous negative results for Chlamydiaceae in wild ruminant species from Switzerland, these data suggest that wild small mammals are unlikely to be important carriers or transport hosts for Chamydiaceae and Chlamydia-like organisms.

Wildlife Disease Association 2014
Sarah Stephan, Diogo Guerra, Andreas Pospischil, Monika Hilbe, Herbert Weissenböck, Ladislav Novotný, Gilbert Greub, Antony Croxatto, Jens Peter Teifke, Rainer G. Ulrich, Mathias Schlegel, Silke Ruhl, Ulrich Schotte, Alfred Binder, Sabine Sauer, and Nicole Borel "CHLAMYDIACEAE AND CHLAMYDIA-LIKE ORGANISMS IN FREE-LIVING SMALL MAMMALS IN EUROPE AND AFGHANISTAN," Journal of Wildlife Diseases 50(2), 195-204, (1 April 2014). https://doi.org/10.7589/2013-08-194
Received: 2 August 2013; Accepted: 1 October 2013; Published: 1 April 2014
KEYWORDS
Chlamydiaceae
Parachlamydia
real-time PCR
Waddlia
wildlife
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