DETECCIÓN DE Chlamydia spp. EN REPTILES BAJO CUIDADO PROFESIONAL EN MÉXICO
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22201/fc.25942158e.2026.2.1579Palabras clave:
Análisis genómico comparativo, Chlamydia, filogenia, Gopherus flavomarginatus, reptilResumen
Chlamydia is an intracellular bacterium that infects a variety of birds, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals, such as humans. Recently, new Chlamydia species have been identified in reptiles. In this study, 25 cloacal swabs and tissue samples were collected from reptiles in professional care in Mexico. Using endpoint PCR, the genome of Chlamydia spp., was detected in 20 % of the samples. Specifically, the presence of the Chlamydia spp., genome was detected by partial sequencing of the intergenic region of 16S-23S rRNA in cloacal swabs and tracheal tissue samples of the Mapimí desert tortoise (Gopherus flavomarginatus), revealing 95 % homology to Chlamydia spp. This study reports the first documented case of Chlamydia spp., in reptiles in professional care in Mexico. Chlamydia can threaten reptile populations. Therefore, further investigations are recommended to identify the circulating Chlamydia species in Mexico and evaluate their epidemiologic impact.
Citas
Bellinati, L., Pesaro, S., Marcer, F., Danesi, P., Natale, A., & Ceglie, L. (2022). Detection of a Novel Chlamydia Species in Invasive Turtles. Animals, 12(6), 784. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12060784
Bodetti, T. J., Jacobson, E., Wan, C., Hafner, L., Pospischil, A., Rose, K., & Timms, P. (2002). Molecular evidence to support the expansion of the host range of Chlamydophila pneumoniae to include reptiles as well as humans, horses, koalas and amphibians. Systematic and Applied Microbiology, 25(1), 146–152. https://doi.org/10.1078/0723-2020-00086
Borel, N., Thoma, R., Spaeni, P., Weilenmann, R., Teankum, K., Brugnera, E., Zimmermann, D. R., Vaughan, L., & Pospischil, A. (2006). Chlamydia-related abortions in cattle from Graubunden, Switzerland. Veterinary pathology, 43(5), 702–708. https://doi.org/10.1354/vp.43-5-702
Carossino, M., Nevarez, J. G., Sakaguchi, K., Paulsen, D. B., Langohr, I. M., Strother, K., Ferracone, J., Roy, A., Crossland, N. A., & Del Piero, F. (2022). An outbreak of systemic chlamydiosis in farmed American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis). Veterinary Pathology, 59(5), 860–868. https://doi.org/10.1177/03009858221095269
Caspe, S.G. & Hill, H. (2024). Chlamydiosis in Animals. Animals, 14(21), 3130. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14213130
Cope, I., Wheelhouse, N., Pocknell, A., Dagleish, M., & Summers, B. (2014). An unusual presentation of Chlamydia pneumoniae infection in a Royal Python (Python regius). Veterinary Record Case Reports, 2(1), e000086. https://doi.org/10.1136/vetreccr-2014-000086
Dickx, V., Kalmar, I. D., Tavernier, P., & Vanrompay, D. (2013). Prevalence and genotype distribution of Chlamydia psittaci in feral Canada geese (Branta canadensis). Vector Borne and Zoonotic Diseases, 13(6), 382–384. https://doi.org/10.1089/vbz.2012.1131
Frutos, M. C., Monetti, M. S., Ré, V. E., & Cuffini, C. G. (2014). Molecular evidence of Chlamydophila pneumoniae infection in reptiles in Argentina. Revista Argentina de Microbiología, 46(1), 45–48. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0325-7541(14)70047-1
Hotzel, H., Blahak, S., Diller, R., & Sachse, K. (2005). Evidence of infection in tortoises by Chlamydia-like organisms that are genetically distinct from known Chlamydiaceae species. Veterinary Research Communications, 29(Suppl 1), 71–80. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11259-005-0838-y
Inchuai, R., Weerakun, S., Nguyen, H. N., & Sukon, P. (2021). Global Prevalence of Chlamydial Infections in Reptiles: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Vector Borne and Zoonotic Diseases, 21(1), 32–39. https://doi.org/10.1089/vbz.2020.2654
Kabeya, H., Sato, S., & Maruyama, S. (2015). Prevalence and characterization of Chlamydia DNA in zoo animals in Japan. Microbiology and Immunology, 59(9), 507–515. https://doi.org/10.1111/1348-0421.12287
Laroucau, K., Aaziz, R., Lécu, A., Laidebeure, S., Marquis, O., Vorimore, F., Thierry, S., Briend-Marchal, A., Miclard, J., Izembart, A., Borel, N., & Redon, L. (2020a). A cluster of Chlamydia serpentis cases in captive snakes. Veterinary Microbiology, 240, 108499. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetmic.2019.108499
Laroucau, K., Ortega, N., Vorimore, F., Aaziz, R., Mitura, A., Szymanska-Czerwinska, M., Cicerol, M., Salinas, J., Sachse, K., & Caro, M. R. (2020b). Detection of a novel Chlamydia species in captive spur-thighed tortoises (Testudo graeca) in southeastern Spain and proposal of Candidatus Chlamydia testudinis. Systematic and Applied Microbiology, 43(2), 126071. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.syapm.2020.126071
Mitura, A., Niemczuk, K., Zaręba, K., Zając, M., Laroucau, K., & Szymańska-Czerwińska, M. (2017). Free-living and captive turtles and tortoises as carriers of new Chlamydia spp. PloS ONE, 12(9), e0185407. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0185407
Robertson, T., Bibby, S., O'Rourke, D., Belfiore, T., Agnew-Crumpton, R., & Noormohammadi, A. H. (2010). Identification of chlamydial species in crocodiles and chickens by PCR-HRM curve analysis. Veterinary Microbiology, 145(3-4), 373–379. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetmic.2010.04.007
Sariya, L., Kladmanee, K., Bhusri, B., Thaijongrak, P., Tonchiangsai, K., Chaichoun, K., & Ratanakorn, P. (2015). Molecular evidence for genetic distinctions between Chlamydiaceae detected in Siamese crocodiles (Crocodylus siamensis) and known Chlamydiaceae species. The Japanese Journal of Veterinary Research, 63(1), 5–14. https://doi.org/10.14943/jjvr.63.1.5
Soldati, G., Lu, Z. H., Vaughan, L., Polkinghorne, A., Zimmermann, D. R., Huder, J. B., & Pospischil, A. (2004). Detection of mycobacteria and chlamydiae in granulomatous inflammation of reptiles: a retrospective study. Veterinary Pathology, 41(4), 388–397. https://doi.org/10.1354/vp.41-4-388
Stokes, H. S., Berg, M. L., & Bennett, A. T. D. (2021). A review of chlamydial infections in wild birds. Pathogens, 10(8), 948. https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens10080948
Tamura, K., Stecher, G., & Kumar, S. (2021). MEGA11: Molecular Evolutionary Genetics Analysis Version 11. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 38(7), 3022–3027. https://doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msab120
Taylor-Brown, A., Rüegg, S., Polkinghorne, A., & Borel, N. (2015). Characterisation of Chlamydia pneumoniae and other novel chlamydial infections in captive snakes. Veterinary Microbiology, 178(1-2), 88–93. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetmic.2015.04.021
Taylor-Brown, A., Bachmann, N. L., Borel, N., & Polkinghorne, A. (2016). Culture-independent genomic characterisation of Candidatus Chlamydia sanzinia, a novel uncultivated bacterium infecting snakes. BMC Genomics, 17(1), 710. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12864-016-3055-x
Taylor-Brown, A., Spang, L., Borel, N., & Polkinghorne, A. (2017). Culture-independent metagenomics supports discovery of uncultivable bacteria within the genus Chlamydia. Scientific Reports, 7(1), 10661. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-10757-5
Vorimore, F., Hsia, R. C., Huot-Creasy, H., Bastian, S., Deruyter, L., Passet, A., Sachse, K., Bavoil, P., Myers, G., & Laroucau, K. (2013). Isolation of a New Chlamydia species from the Feral Sacred Ibis (Threskiornis aethiopicus): Chlamydia ibidis. PloS ONE, 8(9), e74823. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0074823
Yang, S., Zeng, J., Yu, J., Sun, R., Tuo, Y., & Bai, H. (2024). Insights into Chlamydia Development and Host Cells Response. Microorganisms, 12(7), 1302. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12071302
Zaręba-Marchewka, K., Szymańska-Czerwińska, M., & Niemczuk, K. (2020). Chlamydiae - What's New?. Journal of Veterinary Research, 64(4), 461–467. https://doi.org/10.2478/jvetres-2020-0077
Zimmerman, L. M., Clairardin, S. G., Paitz, R. T., Hicke, J. W., LaMagdeleine, K. A., Vogel, L. A., & Bowden, R. M. (2013). Humoral immune responses are maintained with age in a long-lived ectotherm, the red-eared slider turtle. The Journal of Experimental Biology, 216, 633–640. https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.078832
Descargas
Publicado
Cómo citar
Número
Sección
Licencia
Derechos de autor 2026 Revista Latinoamericana de Herpetología

Esta obra está bajo una licencia internacional Creative Commons Atribución-NoComercial-CompartirIgual 4.0.
