Occurrence of Chlamydia spp. in Conjunctival Samples of Stray Cats in Timisoara Municipality, Western Romania.

ABSTRACT: Despite the widespread public health concern about stray cats serving as reservoirs for zoonotic agents, little is known about the effect of urban and peri-urban landscapes on exposure risk. We conducted this study to monitor the presence of Chlamydia spp. in stray cats, with or without conjunctivitis, living in Timișoara Municipality, Western Romania, using staining and PCR methods. A total of 95 cats were enrolled, and conjunctival samples were harvested from 68 clinically healthy cats and another 27 cats presenting with clinical signs of conjunctivitis. Overall, we found that 65.3% (62/95) of the cats tested positive for Chlamydia spp. by PCR. Chlamydia spp. were detected in 45/95 conjunctival samples using a standard Giemsa stain, compared with 62/95 using PCR (Coh

SUBMITTER: Tirziu A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9693150 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature