Isolation of Chlamydophila psittaci from pet birds in Iran

Avian chlamydiosis is one of the most important infectious diseases of birds. Despite the rapid growth of exotic bird populations in Iran, there is little or no information on the specific infections that these types of birds carry. In this study, conventional isolation methods were used in cell culture to study occurrence of infection in pet birds. Samples from the conjunctiva, choana, and cloaca and/or droppings were provided from 17 birds of different species. The samples were used to infect McCoy cell culture to isolate Chlamydophila psittaci. The inoculated cells were fixed, stained by Giemsa, mounted on slides using Entellan® and observed by light microscope for the presence of typical chlamydial inclusion bodies. Chlamydophila psittaci was isolated from four birds including a ring-necked parakeet (Psittacula krameri), an Alexandrine parakeet (Psittacula eupatria), an African grey parrot (Psittacus erithacus), and a Timneh grey parrot (Psittacus erithacus timneh). All negative cultures were passaged a further two times. To the best of our knowledge; the report represents the first isolation of chlamydia from birds in Iran.