Title
Atypical chlamydiaceae in wild populations of hawks (Buteo spp.) in California
Date Issued
01 March 2018
Access level
metadata only access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
Hawkins M.
Johnson C.
Briggs C.
Vennum C.
Bloom P.
Hull J.
Cray C.
Pesti D.
Johnson L.
Ciembor P.
Ritchie B.
University of California
Publisher(s)
American Association of Zoo Veterinarians
Abstract
Chlamydiaceae bacteria infect many vertebrate hosts, and previous reports based on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays and serologic assays that are prone to cross-reaction among chlamydial organisms have been used to describe the prevalence of either DNA fragments or antibodies to Chlamydia spp. in wild raptorial populations. This study reports the PCR-based prevalence of Chlamydiaceae DNA that does not 100% match any avian or mammalian Chlamydiaceae in wild populations of hawks in California Buteo species. In this study, multimucosal swab samples (n = 291) for quantitative PCR (qPCR) and plasma (n = 78) for serology were collected from wild hawks. All available plasma samples were negative for antibodies using a C. psittaci-specific elementary body agglutination test (EBA; n = 78). For IgY antibodies all 51 available samples were negative using the indirect immunofluorescent assay. The overall prevalence of Chlamydiaceae DNA detection in wild Buteo species sampled was 1.37% (4/291) via qPCR-based analysis. Two fledgling Swainson's hawks (Buteo swainsoni) and two juvenile red-tailed hawks (Buteo jamaicensis) were positive by qPCR-based assay for an atypical chlamydial sequence that did not 100% match any known C. psittaci genotype. Positive swab samples from these four birds were sequenced based on the ompA gene and compared by high-resolution melt analysis with all known avian and mammalian Chlamydiaceae. The amplicon sequence did not 100% match any known avian chlamydial sequence; however, it was most similar (98.6%) to C. psittaci M56, a genotype that is typically found in muskrats and hares. Culture and full genome sequence analysis of Chlamydia spp. isolated from diseased hawks will be necessary to classify this organism and to better understand its epizootiology and potential health impact on wild Buteo populations in California.
Start page
108
End page
115
Volume
49
Issue
1
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Biología celular, Microbiología
Epidemiología
Ingeniería marina, naves
Ciencia veterinaria
Subjects
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-85043532231
PubMed ID
Source
Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine
ISSN of the container
10427260
DOI of the container
10.1638/2017-0053R.1
Source funding
School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis
Ministry of Education, Peruvian Government
Karen C. Drayer Wildlife Health Center
American Association of Zoo Veterinarians
Sponsor(s)
Acknowledgments: This study was supported by the Wild Animal Health Fund from the Association of American and Zoo Veterinarians and by the Phil and Karen Drayer Wildlife Health Center Fellowship Award, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis. The authors would like to thank Ms. Laura Young and all the volunteers of the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory for their help with data collection, and Bernard Wolff from the Infectious Diseases Laboratory and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for genotyping data. Dr. Luján-Vega also thanks the Programa Nacional de Becas y Crédito Educativo (PRONABEC) of the Ministry of Education, Peruvian Government for providing the fellowship Beca Presidente de la República for supporting her master studies.
Sources of information:
Directorio de Producción Científica
Scopus