Experimental Enteric Infection of Gnotobiotic Piglets with a Chlamydia psittaci Strain of Avian Origin

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Abstract
Summary: The pathogenicity of a Chlamydia psittaci isolate of pigeon origin was assessed using a litter of gnotobiotic piglets. At 3 days of age, six piglets were inoculated intragastrically with egg‐grown chlamydiae, the remaining six pigs were sham‐inoculated. The animals were observed for clinical signs, and they were killed and necropsied sequentially between 4 and 15 days of age. Clinical manifestations consisted of slight softening of the faeces between 6 and 10 days post‐inoculation (DPI). Immunohistochemistry revealed chlamydial replication predominantly in the small intestine, initially within villous enterocytes, after 4 DPI mostly in the lamina propria. Histopathology showed villous atrophy and increased numbers of inflammatory cells in the gut up to 6 DPI. Chlamydial stages of normal morphology were identified within enterocytes using transmission electron microscopy. An enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) run on faecal samples revealed shedding of chlamydial antigen from 3 until 11 DPI. Systemic dissemination of Chlamydia occurred to a limited extent according to polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry results of several extraintestinal organs. Corresponding histopathological changes were minimal. Sera of all pigs were negative for anti‐chlamydial antibodies using a complement fixation test. In conclusion, inoculation of this isolate in gnotobiotic piglets resulted in a productive enteric infection with mild lesions, weak systemic dissemination, and faecal shedding, indicating the pig as a potential host for avian chlamydiae.