Free-living and captive turtles and tortoises as carriers of new Chlamydia spp.
Free-living and captive turtles and tortoises as carriers of new Chlamydia spp.
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DOI：
10.1371/journal.pone.0185407
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发表时间：
2017-09-26
期刊：
影响因子：
3.7
通讯作者：
Szymanska-Czerwinska, Monika
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Mitura, Agata;Niemczuk, Krzysztof;Szymanska-Czerwinska, Monika
据报道，在爬行动物宿主中发现了多种衣原体属衣原体科的物种，但关于它们在海龟和陆龟中的发生情况的数据很少。本研究主要收集了鳖类外来入侵物种（IAS）、本土龟类和圈养龟类作为衣原体科（Chlamydiaceae）可能的宿主的信息。对204只龟和陆龟的标本（咽、阴囊拭子和组织）的分析显示，在自由生活和圈养动物中，衣原体科的总体流行率分别为18.3%和28.6%，脱落程度各不相同。用物种特异性实时PCR和微阵列测试进行的进一步检测未成功。随后测序对衣原体阳性样品进行基因分型。分别获得了14份、20份和8份样本的16S rRNA和ompA基因的几乎全部长度，以及16S-23S基因间间隔区（IGS）和23S rRNA结构域1。系统发育分析显示16S rRNA扩增子有两个不同的分支。第1组（10个标本）是淡水龟特有的，在这里首次报道，与肺炎衣原体菌株和新描述的sanzinia Candidatus最密切相关。第2组（4个标本）与pecorum菌株同源性最高，但形成一个单独的分支。最后，对阳性标本进行分子分析，并结合其地理分布的距离，强烈表明第1组标本对应于衣原科的一个新种。需要对来自乌龟和陆龟的衣原体进行深入研究，以进一步确定这些非典型菌株的特征，并解决有关其致病性和人畜共患潜力的新问题。
A variety of Chlamydia species belonging to the Chlamydiaceae family have been reported in reptilian hosts but scarce data about their occurrence in turtles and tortoises are available. In this study, research was conducted to acquire information on invasive alien species (IAS) of turtles and indigenous turtles and tortoises, living both free and in captivity, as possible reservoirs of Chlamydiaceae. Analysis of specimens (pharyngeal and cloacal swabs and tissues) from 204 turtles and tortoises revealed an overall Chlamydiaceae prevalence of 18.3% and 28.6% among free-living and captive animals respectively, with variable levels of shedding. Further testing conducted with a species-specific real-time PCR and microarray test was unsuccessful. Subsequently sequencing was applied to genotype the Chlamydiaceae-positive samples. Almost the full lengths of the 16S rRNA and ompA genes as well as the 16S-23S intergenic spacer (IGS) and 23S rRNA domain I were obtained for 14, 20 and 8 specimens respectively. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA amplicons revealed two distinct branches. Group 1 (10 specimens), specific to freshwater turtles and reported here for the first time, was most closely related to Chlamydia (C.) pneumoniae strains and the newly described Candidatus C. sanzinia. Group 2 (four specimens), detected in Testudo spp. samples, showed highest homology to C. pecorum strains but formed a separate sub-branch. Finally, molecular analysis conducted on positive samples together with their geographical distribution in places distant from each other strongly suggest that Group 1 specimens correspond to a new species in the Chlamydiaceae family. In-depth studies of Chlamydia spp. from turtles and tortoises are needed to further characterise these atypical strains and address arising questions about their pathogenicity and zoonotic potential.