Molecular detection and prevalence of Chlamydia psittaci in the blood, liver and meat of Urban pigeons (Columba livia domestica) in Iran

Chlamydophila psittaci (C. psittaci) is a widespread pathogenic bacterium in pigeons. These animals are mostly infected without any clinical signs. Pigeons are probably the most commonly reported chlamydia-infected avian species. Shedding of Chlamydia from infected birds has been widely reported. This study was conducted to detect and to determine the prevalence of C. psittaci in the blood, liver and muscle tissue of urban pigeons in Iran using conventional polymerase chain reaction. In this study, authors used 90 pigeons from different retail shops across Iran. The study was including 26 female and 64 male pigeons with suspected Chlamydiosis based on clinical signs. During examination of the corpses we took 270 samples in total, including blood, liver and muscle tissue from each animal. C. psittaci was detected in 16 (17.78%) blood samples, 14 (15.56%) liver samples and 5 (5.56%) samples of muscle tissue. This study supports the fact that pigeons serve as carriers of C. psittaci. Therefore, continuous surveillance of this bacterium will go along way in understanding the distribution and risks associated with Chlamydia infected pigeons. This will be beneficial in prevention and control risks of infection in humans.

Chlamydophila psittaci, Molecular detection, Prevalence, Urban pigeons, Iran