Chronic Follicular Conjunctivitis Associated with Chlamydia psittaci or Chlamydia pneumoniae

• Published in: Clinical infectious diseases Vol. 26; no. 6; pp. 1335 - 1340
• Main Authors: Lietman, Tom, Brooks, David, Moncada, Jeanne, Schachter, Julius, Dawson, Chandler, Dean, Deborah
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Chicago, IL The University of Chicago Press 01.06.1998; University of Chicago Press
• Subjects: Adult; Antibiotics; Antibodies; Biological and medical sciences; Chlamydia; Chlamydia Infections - microbiology; Chlamydia pneumoniae; Chlamydia psittaci; Chlamydophila pneumoniae; Chlamydophila psittaci; Clinical Articles; Conjunctivitis; Conjunctivitis - microbiology; Conjunctivitis - parasitology; DNA; Follicles; Human protozoal diseases; Humans; Infections; Infectious diseases; Keratitis; Medical sciences; Parasitic diseases; Parasitic diseases due to ciliates and flagellates; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Protozoal diseases; Psittacosis - parasitology; Trachoma; Human; Chlamydia pneumoniae; Chlamydiaceae; Follicular conjunctivitis; Chlamydia psittaci; Conjunctiva disease; Parasitosis; Indirect immunofluorescence; Result; Infection; Polymerase chain reaction; Eye disease; Chronic; Immunological investigation; DNA; Chlamydiales; Bacteria; Diagnosis; Molecular biology
• ISSN: 1058-4838; 1537-6591
• DOI: 10.1086/516373

We determined whether patients with chronic conjunctivitis in whom direct fluorescent antibody (DFA) tests revealed genus-specific chlamydial antigens (but not species-specific Chlamydia trachomatis antigens) were infected with Chlamydia psittaci or Chlamydia pneumoniae. Patients were divided into a case group of possible non-trachomatis chlamydial conjunctivitis and a control group of nonchlamydial conjunctivitis on the basis of examination and DFA testing. Species-specific primers were used to amplify C. trachomatis, C. psittaci, and C. pneumoniae DNA with polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Four (27%) of 15 samples from the case group were positive for C. psittaci or C. pneumoniae DNA, whereas none of 24 control samples were positive. Sequencing revealed a C. pneumoniae, an avian C. psittaci, and two mammalian C. psittaci strains. A short course of oral antibiotic treatment appears to be inadequate for patients with non-trachomatis chlamydial conjunctivitis. Ocular infections due to C. pneumoniae and C. psittaci may be more common than previously recognized and can be identified by DFA and PCR.