Program

New and Emerging Animal Industries

Research Organisation

Northern Territory of Australia represented by the Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade

Objective Summary

1) To implement a sensitive and cost effective test for detection and speciation of chlamydia to facilitate further studies on the disease, particularly relating to epidemiology.
2) To investigate the epidemiology of chlamydial infection in farmed crocodiles with particular reference to:
a. Identification of species and genotype(s) of the chlamydia involved to assess whether a single species/genotype occurs and whether the organism is unique to saltwater crocodiles or common to those known to occur in other animal species,
b. To establish whether subclinical infection or low grade clinical infection in older animals may represent a significant reservoir of infection for hatchlings,
c. To determine whether prevalence of infection in growers and the corresponding risk to hatchlings varies significantly between properties
d. To determine if chlamydial infection rates vary between thriving and non-thriving yearling animals and between thriving and non-thriving grow-out animals.
e. To determine whether any variance in prevalence of subclinical infection in growers correlates with the occurrence or absence of disease in the hatchlings in the previous or current year.