Zoonotic transmission of Chlamydia felis from domestic cats; A case series of chronic follicular conjunctivitis in humans

Abstract

We present three cases of chronic follicular conjunctivitis resulting from the zoonotic transmission of Chlamydia felis from domestic cats. Our objective is to raise awareness regarding the potential zoonotic transmission of Chlamydia felis from domestic cats and describe the methodology for definitive pathogen identification using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and subsequent sequence analysis, a useful tool in the identification of these rare pathogens. We discuss the factors that could be contributing to the potential under-diagnosis of zoonotic C. felis infections and propose a treatment regime for cases of C. felis-related conjunctivitis.

Keywords

• Chlamydia felis, zoonosis
• Follicular conjunctivitis
• Sequence analysis