Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2016 Jul 20:69:8.
doi: 10.1186/s13620-016-0067-4. eCollection 2015.

Isolation of Chlamydia abortus from a laboratory worker diagnosed with atypical pneumonia

Nieves Ortega  1 , M Rosa Caro  1 , M Carmen Gallego  1 , Antonio Murcia-Belmonte  1 , Daniel Álvarez  1 , Laura Del Río  1 , Francisco Cuello  1 , Antonio J Buendía  2 , Jesús Salinas  1
Affiliations

Isolation of Chlamydia abortus from a laboratory worker diagnosed with atypical pneumonia

Nieves Ortega et al. Ir Vet J. .

Abstract

Background: Identifying the aetiological agent of atypical pneumonia in human can sometimes be a tedious process, especially in cases where Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Legionella species and Chlamydia pneumoniae are ruled out. In such cases, a correct anamnesis of the patient is basic to clarify which pathogens might have produced the infection. For this reason, health professionals including veterinarians and laboratory personnel working with zoonotic pathogens should keep their doctors informed.

Case presentation: A human case of atypical pneumonia linked to Chlamydia abortus is reported. A 47-year-old male, a veterinarian researcher into chlamydiae, developed respiratory symptoms, breathing problems and high fever. Serological analyses ruled out the involvement of several respiratory pathogens, such as M. pneumoniae, Legionella pneumophila, Rickettsia conorii and C. pneumoniae, and Chlamydia abortus was identified as the possible aetiological agent of the infection. The isolation of C. abortus from the patient's sputum and subsequent molecular analysis confirmed the presence of this microorganism.

Conclusion: As far as we know, although C. abortus has not been previously described as capable of causing pneumonia in humans, this is the first reported case of atypical pneumonia in which C. abortus is thought to have played an aetiological role.

Keywords: Atypical pneumonia; Chlamydia abortus; Human; OEA; Zoonoses.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Chest x-ray of the patient with dense infiltration in the left lower lobe
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Marrie TJ, Costain N, La Scola B, Patrick W, Forgie S, Xu Z, McNeil SA. The role of atypical pathogens in community-acquired pneumonia. Semin Respir Cri Care Med. 2012;33:244–56. doi: 10.1055/s-0032-1315636. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Sachse K, Bavoil PM, Kaltenboeck B, Stephens RS, Kuo CC, Rosselló-Móra R, Horn M. Emendation of the family chlamydiaceae: proposal of a single genus, chlamydia, to include all currently recognized species. Syst Appl Microbiol. 2015;38:99–103. doi: 10.1016/j.syapm.2014.12.004. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Longbottom D, Coulter LJ. Animal chlamydioses and zoonotic implications. J Comp Path. 2003;128:217–44. doi: 10.1053/jcpa.2002.0629. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Choroszy-Król I, Frej-Mądrzak M, Hober M, Sarowska J, Jama-Kmiecik A. Infections caused by Chlamydophila pneumoniae. Adv Clin Exp Med. 2014;23:123–6. doi: 10.17219/acem/37035. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Rohde G, Straube E, Essig A, Reinhold P, Sachse K. Chlamydial zoonoses. Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2010;107:174–80. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources