Chlamydia felis is a Gram-negative bacterium that is an obligate intracellular parasite of cats. Chlamydia felis does not survive outside of the host so close ...Home » ChlamydiafelisChlamydiafelis UpdatedJanuary,2021 Chlamydophila(Chlamydia) guidelineswerefirstpublishedintheJFelineMedSurg2009;11:605-609byTimGruffydd-Jonesetal.ThepresentguidelinewasupdatedbySéverineTasker. Synopsis ChlamydiafelisisaGram-negativebacteriumthatisanobligateintracellularparasiteofcats.Chlamydiafelisdoesnotsurviveoutsideofthehostsoclosecontactbetweencatsisrequiredfortransmission,usuallyviaoculardischarges.Chlamydiosistypicallyaffectsyoungcatsunder9monthsofage.Itcausesocularsigns:initiallyunilateralthenbilateralwithconjunctivitis,hyperaemiaofthenictitatingmembrane,blepharospasm,oculardischarge(initiallyserousthenmucopurulent)andchemosis.ThediagnosticmethodofchoiceisPCRperformedonconjunctivalororopharyngealswabs.Diseasemanagementcomprisessystemicantibiotics;doxycyclineisusuallyusedandshouldbegivenforatleast4weekstoeliminateinfection,andatleast2weeksbeyondresolutionofclinicalsigns.Amoxycillin-clavulanateisanalternativeantibioticespeciallyforyoungkittens.Promptdiagnosisandtreatmentareassociatedwithafavourableoutcome,withsignstypicallyimprovingwithin48hoursofstartingappropriatetreatment.VaccinationforC.felisisanon-corevaccineandisnotindicatedforallcatsbutmayberecommendedforthoseinmulti-cathouseholds(e.g.,breedingcatteries,shelters)athighriskofinfectionoriftherehasbeenahistoryofchlamydiosis. Agentproperties ABCD followsarecentnomenclature proposalto classifyall11currentlyrecognized Chlamydiaceae speciesinasinglegenus,thegenus Chlamydia (Sachseetal.,2015);thesespeciesincludeChlamydiafelis,ChlamydiapneumoniaeandChlamydiapsittaci.C.felisisthespeciestypicallyseeninfectingcats. Chlamydiafelis,typicalofthegenus Chlamydia,isaGram-negativerod-shapedcoccoidbacterium;itscellwallisdevoidof peptidoglycan.Asanobligateintracellularparasite,it lackstheabilitytoreplicateautonomously(Becker,1978). Thegenomeof C