Occurrence of Chlamydiaceae and Chlamydia felis pmp9 Typing in Conjunctival and Rectal Samples of Swiss Stray and Pet Cats

Zoonotic transmission of Chlamydia felis from domestic cats; A case series of chronic follicular conjunctivitis in humans

We present three cases of chronic follicular conjunctivitis resulting from the zoonotic transmission of Chlamydia felis from domestic cats. Our objective is to raise awareness regarding the potential zoonotic transmission of Chlamydia felis from domestic cats and describe the methodology for definitive pathogen identification using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and subsequent sequence analysis, a useful tool in the identification of these rare pathogens. We discuss the factors that could be contributing to the potential under-diagnosis of zoonotic C. felis infections and propose a treatment regime for cases of C. felis-related conjunctivitis.

Occurrence of Chlamydia spp. in Conjunctival Samples of Stray Cats in Timișoara Municipality, Western Romania

Despite the widespread public health concern about stray cats serving as reservoirs for zoonotic agents, little is known about the effect of urban and peri-urban landscapes on exposure risk. We conducted this study to monitor the presence of Chlamydia spp. in stray cats, with or without conjunctivitis, living in Timișoara Municipality, Western Romania, using staining and PCR methods. A total of 95 cats were enrolled, and conjunctival samples were harvested from 68 clinically healthy cats and another 27 cats presenting with clinical signs of conjunctivitis. Overall, we found that 65.3% (62/95) of the cats tested positive for Chlamydia spp. by PCR. Chlamydia spp. were detected in 45/95 conjunctival samples using a standard Giemsa stain, compared with 62/95 using PCR (Cohen’s kappa index = 0.308; p = 0.0640). Of the cats that tested positive by PCR, 72.6% (45/62) were asymptomatic, and another 27.4% (17/62) expressed clinical signs of conjunctivitis. We found no significant difference between (p > 0.05) the distribution of infection and the recorded epidemiological data (sex, breed, age, territorial distribution, or sampling season). However, the Chlamydia spp. detection frequency was significantly higher in asymptomatic than in symptomatic cats (p = 0.0383). The obtained results increase the level of concern and awareness about the possible zoonotic potential of this pathogen and highlight that urban stray cats can be essential sources of feline chlamydiosis.