Abstract
This study was designed to tackle the problem of chlamydiosis among 395 domestic and 90 wild sheep. Clinical examination of animals under investigation declared variable clinical manifestation to the disease. Clinical signs exhibited on 175 domestic sheep represented mainly by abortion at late stage of pregnancy, stillbirth or birth of weak unthrifty lambs, which show pneumonic or enteric signs. While the prominent signs appeared on 16 wild sheep was diarrhea and respiratory distress.
Chlamydial bodies were detected and identify laboratory from suspected materials by chicken embryo inoculation, mice injection, Giemsa stained smears examination and CFT. The incidence of chlamydiosis relying on the above techniques was recorded and discussed. The specific chlamydial complement fixing antibodies was detected in both diseased (16.6%) and contact clinically normal domestic sheep (6.4%). The treatment regimens for the diseased animals was applied and discussed in the view of available literature.
The current results suggested that, chlamydia psittaci is wide spread, chlamydiosis may have a wide range of clinical manifestation or occurs as latent infection and the latency was cleared from detection of complement fixing antibodies against chlamydial infection in apparently healthy sheep. Risk of transmission of chlamydia species between wild and domestic sheep anticipated; so avoid or minimizing close contact of wild sheep with other domestic animals particularly sheep. As well, from epidemiological point of view the system of breeding in Egypt facilitate contact of different animals species enhancing spread of chlamydia sp. Also migratory sheep flock disseminate the infection along wide area.
Finally, control measures of chlamydiosis could be included accurate diagnosis, sound management and hygiene as isolation of aborting ewes, cleanup and disinfect infected pens, hygienic disposal of aborted fetus and placenta, avoid crowding at lambing, avoid contact between domestic and wild sheep or other animals, or reduce the risk of intertransmission of chlamydia sp between wild and domestic ruminants through grazing on the same pastures, restriction or avoid migration of sheep flocks and recommended vaccination particularly in flocks with recurrent chlamydiosis.
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