Author
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Andersen, Arthur |
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Submitted to: Office International Epizootics Manual of Standards for Diagnostic Tests
Publication Type: Book / Chapter Publication Acceptance Date: 6/9/1998 Publication Date: N/A Citation: N/A Interpretive Summary: Technical Abstract: Avian chlamydiosis (AC) is caused by the bacterium Chlamydia psittaci. Depending on the chlamydial serovar and the avian host, chlamydiae cause pericarditis, air sacculitis, pneumonia, lateral nasal adenitis, peritonitis, hepatitis, and splenitis. The diagnosis of AC requires the isolation and identification of the organism, the demonstration of chlamydiae in tissues, or the demonstration of a four-fold increase in specific humoral antibody, as well as typical clinical signs. Isolation of chlamydiae requires the inoculation of embryonated eggs, laboratory animals, or cell cultures. The direct inoculation of samples into cell cultures of BGM, African green monkey kidney (VERO), McCoy, or L cells is preferable. Cell cultures are as sensitive for the isolation of most avian strains of chlamydiae as are chicken embryos. In recent years, the Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) developed for detecting trachomatic antigen in humans have been used for diagnosing chlamydiae in birds showing signs of disease. PCR-RFLP and immunohistochemical staining of histological sections are two new techniques showing a great deal of promise for the future. The current PCR tests for avian strains target the MOMP gene and are highly specific and sensitive and can be performed on most tissues. Immunohistochemical staining of histological sections is becoming popular because of the availability of automated staining equipment. The advantage is that most diagnostic laboratories routinely collect materials for H & E sections, and extra sections can easily be cut at the time or retrospectively be cut for immunohistochemical staining. |
