Seroprevalence of Chlamydia infection in pigs in Jiangxi province, South-Eastern China

J Med Microbiol. 2013 Dec;62(Pt 12):1864-1867. doi: 10.1099/jmm.0.066555-0. Epub 2013 Sep 5.

Abstract

Chlamydia are Gram-negative obligate bacteria that cause a wide range of diseases in humans and animals. To assess the risk of zoonosis posed by pigs, a total of 920 serum samples were collected from pigs in 11 administrative cities in Jiangxi province, south-eastern China, and the seroprevalence of Chlamydia antibodies was investigated by an indirect haemagglutination assay. The pathogen-specific antibodies were detected in 539 (58.59 %) pigs with seroprevalence ranging from 33.33 % (Jingdezhen) to 90.91 % (Pingxiang) among different cities (P<0.05). The highest prevalence was found in pregnant sows (80.89 %, 127/157), followed by breeding boars (79.37 %, 50/63), suckling sows (77.01 %, 67/87), fattening pigs (69.32 %, 61/88) and non-pregnant sows (62.5 %, 180/288). Piglets had the lowest prevalence of 22.78 % (54/237). The seroprevalence of Chlamydia infection among different categories of pigs was also significantly different (P<0.05). These results indicate that Chlamydia is highly prevalent in pigs in Jiangxi province and our results indicate that the presence of Chlamydia exposure in pigs may pose a potential threat to human health.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antibodies, Bacterial / immunology
  • China / epidemiology
  • Chlamydia / immunology*
  • Chlamydia Infections / epidemiology*
  • Chlamydia Infections / immunology*
  • Chlamydia Infections / microbiology
  • Hemagglutination Tests / methods
  • Prevalence
  • Seroepidemiologic Studies
  • Swine
  • Zoonoses / epidemiology
  • Zoonoses / immunology
  • Zoonoses / microbiology

Substances

  • Antibodies, Bacterial