Home / Cats / Veterinary Dangerous and invisible CHLAMYDIOSIS - is a transmissible disease evoked by chlamydias that are obligate intracellular parasites. These bacteria are revealed in 200 species of warm-blooded animals, fishes, mollusks, amphibians and arthropods. Do cats and dogs suffer from this disease? Yes, they do. Chlamydiasis in dogs and cats is a rather widespread disease (the research conducted by myself on the basis of Diagnostics and Consultation Center "Vetzverotsentr" showed 31.5% of cats and 18% of dogs with different pathologies of respiratory and urogenital tracts are affected by chlamydias). Chlamydiosis initially affects respiratory organs, alimentary canal and mucous membrane of eyes. The disease is transmitted by air and dripping water, tactile contacts and in sexual way. Mainly chlamydeous infections have local character. At generalized infection that occurs rarely chlamydias penetrate into blood and are transferred virtually into all organs, lymphatic glands, joints and even inside brain and spinal corn, the latter may cause animal's death. The period of incubation lasts from five to fifteen days. During first days of disease a small increase of temperature is registered. At first, the disease affects mucous membrane of one eyelid and after two-three weeks affects another eye. This results in conjunctivitis, which lasts from several days to several months and sometimes converts into a chronic form. In case of dogs conjunctivitis usually leads to corneitis (lesion of cornea), which quite often results in blindness. During a generalized infection in dogs chlamydiosis resembles distemper. Disorders in reproduction, including abortion and endometritis are typical. In males quite often the chlamydiosis is masked, but in case of second infection the urethritis develops that affects scrotum organs. All this causes sterility. Depending on resistive capacity of animal organism and presence of immune background the latent and sub-clinical forms of disease may develop (at latent form chlamydias are viable but doesn't reproduce; at sub-clinical form of disease they reproduce but the reaction of organism is ulterior). During different kinds of stresses, including delivery and early lactation, at weaning of kittens or puppies (in chronically infected kennel) the chlamydeous infection livens up. Therefore it is quite a surprise for a man who has bought an outwardly healthy individual in such nursery to find some signs of chlamydiosis. Where and how to reveal chlamydiosis with competence? The methods of diagnosis applied have different degree of sensitivity, specificity and self-descriptiveness in case of dogs and cats. Today the most precise and reliable method in the world, due to which one may diagnose any form of chlamydiosis, is a polymerase chain reaction. Together with a veterinary hospital of Dr. N.V. Loginov we give the opportunity to examine your pet for chlamydiosis by this method and to get a qualified consultation on diagnostics and treatment. You may find Dr. Loginov's clinic telephone number on page 8. Can chlamydias be transmitted from animals to humans? Yes they can, and are able to cause eye, respiratory and intestinal displays of the disease. What to do, if the chlamydiosis is revealed in a dog or a cat? After all, a holder may get scared and just decide to get rid of animal. This is impermissible. First of all, to through an ill animal is barbarity from the moral and ethical point of view. Second, chlamydiosis is curable. Simply during medical procedures recommended by a veterinary surgeon one should exclude close contacts with his pet in order the pathogen not to get onto mucous membranes of eyes, nose and mouth. How to treat chlamydiosis? Chlamydiosis is successfully treated by tetracycline family medications with an application of ajuvants if necessary. However, the chlamydeous infection in pure form exists only at the initial stage of disease. Acting on cells of mucous membranes chlamydias create the auspicious conditions for development of other kind of microflora. Consequently, a compound, or second infection appears, which proceeds much harder then "pure" chlamydiosis. Therefore an incompetent treatment often favors stability of the pathogen to medicines and worsening the trend of recovery. Otherwise animals become carriers of chlamydiosis. That's why after the curse of treatment it is necessary to take a revision test after 7-10 days. How to protect from chlamydiosis? I can advise you the following: examine your animals for chlamydiosis; before giving your animal for coupling, ask the other party for results of test for a given disease; avoid close contacts of your pet with other animals which seem somewhat suspicious to you. Igor L. OBUKHOV, Head of department of study of chlamydiosis in animals and birds, VGNKI of veterinary medicals. Translated by Tatiana Karpova (Moscow) (MSU, Biology faculture, Dep. zoology and ecology).