Conjunctivitis due to Chlamydophila felis (Chlamydia psittaci feline pneumonitis agent) acquired from a cat: case report with molecular characterization of isolates from the patient and cat.

Conjunctivitis due to Chlamydiaceae other than Chlamydia trachomatis is rarely reported because of infrequent occurrence or inadequate investigation. A case of chronic non-trachomatis chlamydial conjunctivitis is described. After full clinical information was supplied to the laboratory, a non-trachomatis chlamydia was recovered from the patient's eye. This organism, and a subsequent isolate from one of the patient's cats, were shown to be indistinguishable examples of the recently described species Chlamydophila felis. The infection was most likely acquired from the patient's cats. A prolonged course of doxycycline was required to eradicate the infection. Copyright 2001 The British Infection Society.