Keratoconjunctivitis of the koala, Phascolarctos cinereus, caused by Chlamydia psittaci. 1981

F A Cockram, and A R Jackson

Chlamydia psittaci was cultured from 29 of 35 koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) with keratoconjunctivitis. The disease progressed from acute to chronic stages over some months, with a known duration of at least 2 years. One recovered carrier was found. Up to 29% of koalas in some populations were clinically affected. A seasonal spread of infection was indicated by the high percentage of acutely affected cases found in summer. There was no evidence of susceptibility being related to age or sex. The sera of all chronically affected koalas had complement fixation test titres against chlamydial group antigen of 80 or above; in acute cases the titre ranged from 0 to 320. Of normal koalas, 84% were serologically negative, 16% had chlamydial antibody. A titre of 80 or more considered in conjunction with ocular disease could be taken as presumptive evidence of a chlamydial etiology. Chlamydial keratoconjunctivitis may be the ocular disease which was associated with the decline of koala numbers between the years 1885 and 1930.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D007637 Keratoconjunctivitis Simultaneous inflammation of the cornea and conjunctiva. Keratoconjunctivitides
D008394 Marsupialia An infraclass of MAMMALS, also called Metatheria, where the young are born at an early stage of development and continue to develop in a pouch (marsupium). In contrast to Eutheria (placentals), marsupials have an incomplete PLACENTA. Metatheria,Marsupials,Marsupial
D009956 Psittacosis Infection with CHLAMYDOPHILA PSITTACI (formerly Chlamydia psittaci), transmitted to humans by inhalation of dust-borne contaminated nasal secretions or excreta of infected BIRDS. This infection results in a febrile illness characterized by PNEUMONITIS and systemic manifestations. Ornithosis,Ornithoses,Psittacoses
D002691 Chlamydophila psittaci A genus of CHLAMYDOPHILA infecting primarily birds. It contains eight known serovars, some of which infect more than one type of host, including humans. Chlamydia psittaci
D000818 Animals Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA. Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D000907 Antibodies, Bacterial Immunoglobulins produced in a response to BACTERIAL ANTIGENS. Bacterial Antibodies
D001315 Australia The smallest continent and an independent country, comprising six states and two territories. Its capital is Canberra. Canton and Enderbury Islands,Christmas Island,Christmas Island (Australia)
D012621 Seasons Divisions of the year according to some regularly recurrent phenomena usually astronomical or climatic. (From McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms, 6th ed) Seasonal Variation,Season,Seasonal Variations,Variation, Seasonal,Variations, Seasonal

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