Molecular Detection of Chlamydia Psittaci in Feral Pigeons in the Sulaymaniyah Region, Iraq.

Feral pigeons are the main non-domestic host of zoonotic Chlamydia psittaci, which causes avian chlamydiosis. Although C. psittaci is important, few studies are available in the literature concerning this pathogen as a public health problem in Iraq. It was the objective of this work to use PCR amplification of the C. psittaci species-specific gene and detection in organs, cloacal, and pharyngeal swabs from clinically healthy feral pigeons collected from the Sulaymaniyah area. During the period between July and December 2025, one hundred feral pigeons of both sexes, different age groups from various regions in Sulaymaniyah Governorate were examined for C. psittaci. PCR amplification was performed on DNA extracted from samples, targeting the Chlamydia-specific ompA gene, and results were blasted to confirm positivity. Of 200 tested samples, ten (5%) were real-time PCR positive for C. psittaci; four were from Swabs of the pharynx (2%) then five from swabs of cloaca (2.5%). One (0.5%) of the twenty pooled liver and lung samples was also positive for C. psittaci. Phylogeny of the ompA gene structures showed That's all feral pigeon The isolates were of genotype B; however, it is interesting that a C. psittaci strain from feral pigeons in Argentina in 2024 shared 100% sequence homology with Sulaymaniyah isolates (Sul/1/2025 and Sul/2/2025). This work has provided evidence that the feral pigeon forms a natural reservoir for C. psittaci with potential risks to human health.