First isolation and characterization of Chlamydophila abortus from abortion tissues of sheep in Sardinia, Italy.

Chlamydophila abortus (C. abortus) is the responsible agent for chlamydial abortion [commonly known as Enzootic Abortion of Ewes (EAE)] and, as such, it causes major financial losses to the sheep industry worldwide. Isolation of the pathogen is considered the 'gold standard' and most sensitive method of detection for diagnosing chlamydial infection. So far, there has been no isolation of C. abortus from ovines in Sardinia, Italy. This letter describes the results of a study conducted on a total of 89 aborted samples (40 foetuses and 49 placentae) collected in 2010 in Northern Sardinia, Italy. Three placentae resulted PCR-positive when analyzed using the putative outer membrane protein (pmp) specific primers, the test lead to the identification and first isolation in cell culture of C. abortus. This letter to the editor describes the first isolation of C. abortus from ovine placentae and increases the knowledge of one of the agents that causes ovine abortion in Sardinia and, more generally, in the Mediterranean basin.