This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (7) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Soldati, G. Articles by Pospischil, A. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Soldati, G. Articles by Pospischil, A. Social Bookmarking                            What's this?

Detection of Mycobacteria and Chlamydiae in Granulomatous Inflammation of Reptiles: A Retrospective Study

Institute of Veterinary Pathology (GS, ZHL, LV, A. Pospischil) and Swiss National Center for Retroviruses (JBH), University of Zurich, Switzerland; Center for Molecular Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia (A. Polkinghorne); and Institute of Clinical Pathology, University Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland (DRZ)

A retrospective study on reptile tissues presenting with granulomatous inflammation was performed to detect the possible presence of mycobacteria and chlamydiae in these lesions. Ninety cases including 48 snakes, 27 chelonians, and 15 lizards were selected. Mycobacteria were detected by Ziehl–Neelsen (ZN) staining and a broad-range polymerase chain reaction (PCR) followed by DNA sequencing. To detect chlamydiae, immunohistochemistry with monoclonal antibodies against chlamydial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and a Chlamydiales order–specific PCR and sequencing were applied. Acid-fast bacilli were found in 14 cases (15.6%) by ZN staining and in 23 cases (25.6%) by PCR. Sequence analysis revealed the presence of Mycobacteria other than Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MOTT). Chlamydial LPS antigen was observed within granulomas from five samples (5.6%), whereas the PCR screen revealed 58 positive cases (64.4%). Of these, 9 cases (10%) showed 98–99% similarity to Chlamydophila (Cp.) pneumoniae and 49 cases (54.4%) displayed a high similarity (88–97%) to the newly described "Chlamydia-like" microorganisms Parachlamydia acanthamoebae and Simkania negevensis. Results from this study confirm, on the one hand, that MOTT are probably the most important infectious etiology for granulomatous inflammation in reptiles. On the other hand, they indicate that chlamydia infects reptiles and that Cp. pneumoniae should be considered an etiological agent of granulomatous lesions of reptiles. Because both MOTT and Cp. pneumoniae are human pathogens, the potential of zoonotic transmission from reptiles to humans has to be considered. In contrast, the significance of Chlamydia-like isolates remains completely open, and further studies are needed to evaluate their role.

Key words: "Chlamydia-like" isolates; Chlamydophila pneumoniae; granulomatous inflammation; immunohistochemistry; mycobacteria other than Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex; polymerase chain reaction and sequencing; reptiles; Ziehl–Neelsen.

Request reprints from Prof. Andreas Pospischil, Institut für Veterinärpathologie, Universität Zürich, Winterthurerstr. 268, Zurich, CH-8057 (Switzerland). E-mail: apos{at}vetpath.unizh.ch

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Facebook    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				C. Blumer, D. R. Zimmermann, R. Weilenmann, L. Vaughan, and A. Pospischil Chlamydiae in Free-Ranging and Captive Frogs in Switzerland Vet. Pathol., March 1, 2007; 44(2): 144 - 150. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. Corsaro and G. Greub Pathogenic Potential of Novel Chlamydiae and Diagnostic Approaches to Infections Due to These Obligate Intracellular Bacteria Clin. Microbiol. Rev., April 1, 2006; 19(2): 283 - 297. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]