CASE REPORT article
Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Veterinary Epidemiology and Economics
This article is part of the Research TopicThe Role of Birds in Environmental Transmission Dynamics and Impact on Public Health of Zoonotic PathogensView all 15 articles
Zoonotic potential of Chlamydia psittaci-a case report
Provisionally accepted
- 1Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
- 2graduate student, Zagreb, Croatia
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The causative agent of chlamydiosis/psittacosis, the obligatory intracellular bacterium C. psittaci, infects various species of birds and humans. Infected birds occasionally excrete the pathogen through the respiratory and digestive systems, with nasal/ocular discharge and feces being the main sources of infection for other birds or humans. Humans are most often infected through close contact with positive parrots. In this case report of avian chlamydiosis/psittacosis, samples were taken from a dead cockatiel and two budgerigars, and from a child living in the same household as the birds. In all the samples examined, except the child's serum, C. psittaci was detected by real-time PCR. The phylogenetic analysis of the ompA gene from parrot isolates identified genotype A, confirming that parrots harbored the most virulent genotype of C. psittaci. To prevent the spread of avian chlamydiosis/psittacosis, it is necessary to procure birds from verified sources, monitor the signs of disease in parrots and humans, and strictly adhere to biosecurity measures to prevent further spread of the disease.
Keywords: avian chlamydiosis1, C. psittaci2, child5, parrot4, respiratory infection6, zoonosis3
Received: 31 May 2025; Accepted: 02 Dec 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Horvatek Tomic, Krkljuš, Gottstein, Lozica and Prukner-Radovcic. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Danijela Horvatek Tomic
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