Estudo clínico e diagnóstico molecular de Chlamydophila sp. em psitaciformes mantidos em cativeiro no estado do Pará.

Abstract

Parrots have worldwide distribution and next to columbiformes represent the animals more susceptible to infection by Chlamydophila psittaci, a negative Gram bacteria, obligate intracellular, high zoonotic potential, which causes chlamydiosis in domestic and wild birds and psittacosis in humans. In birds, the disease may be present in unapparent form or trigger the onset of symptoms such as nasal discharge, ocular and diarrhea, whose elimination pathway works as a source of infection to other susceptible animals. The aim of this search was a clinical study and molecular diagnosis of infection Clamydophila sp. in parrots kept in captivity in the state of Pará, and to identify possible risk factors involved in the prevalence of this disease in breeding. Samples of cloacal swabs and oropharyngeal of 201 parrots were used over four breeding located in Metropolitan Mesoregions of Belém (C1 and C2), Paraense Northeast (C3) and Lower Amazon (C4). The DNA samples were extracted by Chelex 100 to 5% and subjected to molecular test from the semi-nested PCR. Statistical analyzes were performed according to test propositions using R and Chi square test (p <0.05). In all breeding was confirmed infection by Chlamydophila sp., With a prevalence of 31.84% (64/201) of infected birds, not being observed predisposition species-specific disease among the sampled birds. The results of the semi-nested PCR showed that 13.93% (28/201) of birds eliminated the infectious agent by the cloaca, 11.44% (23/201) by the oropharynx and 6.47% (13/201) for the cloaca and oropharynx. The results in the semi-nested PCR in each locality showed a statistically significant difference between the breeding C2 and C3 (p = 0.02963), which were the breeding with the lowest and highest number of diagnosed cases. Failures in the adoption of good hygienic sanitary management practices in breeding, positively influenced the increase in the number of sick birds. Most animals 27.86% (56/201) were under the unapparent carrier status of the disease and only 3.98% (8/201) of birds with positive diagnosis, presented some suggestive clinical signs of the disease.