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Detection and genotyping of Chlamydia species responsible for reproductive disorders in Algerian small ruminants

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Abstract

Chlamydiosis in small ruminants is a zoonotic disease mainly related to Chlamydia abortus. This bacterium is responsible for abortions and reproductive disorders in sheep and goats. Stillbirth and infertility, leading to important economic losses, are also associated with this pathology. In Algeria, abortion cases are frequently reported by veterinarians but, except for brucellosis which is a notifiable disease in this country, abortive diseases are in general poorly studied. In order to detect and genotype Chlamydia species in small ruminants in different areas of Algeria, a study was conducted on samples collected from females (164 blood samples and 199 vaginal swabs) between October 2011 and March 2013. Serum samples were tested with a C. abortus-specific indirect ELISA test. Fourteen samples (8.5 %), from six farms (6/20, 30 %) were tested positive. Vaginal swabs were analysed with a real-time PCR targeting all Chlamydiaceae spp. Thirty samples (15 %) were diagnosed positive in 16 farms (16/25, 64 %). Positive samples were all re-tested with a C. abortus- and a C. pecorum-specific real-time PCR. Finally, 13/30 (43.3 %) and 6/30 (20 %) were identified as C. abortus and C. pecorum, respectively. Enough concentrated C. abortus samples were genotyped by multi-loci variable number of tandem repeat (VNTR) analysis (MLVA), and all were related to the genotype [2] group which mainly includes French C. abortus isolates. C. pecorum-positive samples were genotyped by multi-locus sequence typing (MLST). Interestingly, two of them were successfully genotyped and showed identical MLST sequences to VB2, AB10, E58 and SBE, a group which includes C. pecorum isolates considered as highly pathogenic. These findings suggest a possible role of C. abortus and C. pecorum strains in the aetiology of abortion in Algerian small ruminants.

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Acknowledgments

Salah-Eddine Merdja is supported by Blida University, Algeria. We are grateful to the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF) which has partially contributed to the funding of this project. Special thanks to Cécile and Lilian Laroche for their precious help in reviewing the manuscript.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Veterinary Science, University of Blida, 09000, Blida, Algeria

    Salah-Eddine Merdja, Hamza Khaled, Ali Dahmani & Abdallah Bouyoucef

  2. Bacterial Zoonoses Unit, Animal Health Laboratory, ANSES, University of Paris-Est, 94706, Maisons-Alfort, France

    Rachid Aaziz, Fabien Vorimore, Claire Bertin & Karine Laroucau

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  1. Salah-Eddine Merdja
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  2. Hamza Khaled
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  3. Rachid Aaziz
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  4. Fabien Vorimore
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  5. Claire Bertin
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  6. Ali Dahmani
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  7. Abdallah Bouyoucef
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  8. Karine Laroucau
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Correspondence to Salah-Eddine Merdja.

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Merdja, SE., Khaled, H., Aaziz, R. et al. Detection and genotyping of Chlamydia species responsible for reproductive disorders in Algerian small ruminants. Trop Anim Health Prod 47, 437–443 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-014-0743-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-014-0743-x

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