Serotyping of US isolates of Chlamydophila psittaci from domestic and wild birds

USDA Agricultural Research Service, National Animal Disease Center, Ames, IA 50010, USA.

The identities of chlamydial strains, which can infect a given host, are important to know for disease prognosis, disease control, and epidemiology. The microimmunofluorescence test (MIFT) was used with a panel of 14 serovar-specific monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) to serotype 150 chlamydial isolates from domestic and wild birds. The isolates were obtained from birds submitted to diagnostic laboratories or during investigation of outbreaks. The 150 US isolates included 96 from the order Psittaciformes, 14 isolates from the order Columbiformes, 2 from the order Passeriformes, 16 from the order Galliformes, 12 from the order Struthioniformes, and 3 from the order Falconiformes. A total of 93, or 97%, of the Psittaciformes isolates were of serovar A; 11, or 79%, of the Columbiformes isolates were of serovar B; 64% of the Galliformes isolates were of serovar D, and all the Struthioniformes isolates were of serovar E. The 3 Falconiformes isolates did not react with any of the MAbs to the avian and mammalian isolates and are presumed to represent a new strain. The results show that specific chlamydial strains are usually associated with certain types of birds and that some serovars may be unusually virulent for certain species of birds. The MIFT using serovar-specific MAbs provides a rapid method to serotype new isolates, making it a useful system for epidemiological studies.