[Chlamydial polyarthritis in calves]

Investigations were carried out on some farms to establish the presence of Chlamydia organisms in spontaneous cases of polyarthritis in calves. Use was made of various methods--chick embryos, light and electron microscopy, and the complement-fixation test (CFT). As many as 9 C. psittaci strains were isolated from synovial liquid of calves affected with polyarthritis from 6 farms in several districts of the country. The isolated strains were identified morphologically by means of electron and light microscope, and serologically--through demonstrating the presence of a group-specific Chlamydia antigen by CFT with a known positive anti-chlamydial serum. There were in the sera of some calves with polyarthritis chlamydial KC-antibodies. Results spoke of the chlamydial etiology of some polyarthritis diseases in calves in this country, confirming and supplementing previous observations of the authors.