In 1971, Dr. Johannes Storz, DVM, Ph.D., a professor at LSU, described his research into chlamydia-induced diseases in animals. “CHLAMYDIA AND CHLAMYDIA INDUCED DISEASES”. He reported chlamydia had the same cellular effects in animals as occur in humans, including amino acid requirements that affected energy metabolism in infected cells, an arrested cell cycle of apoptosis, and folic acid synthesis by some strains.

Dr. Storz reported chlamydia in chickens, ducks, egrets, parrots, partridges, pheasants, sea gulls, and turkeys; and because of their migratory routes, reported birds were a vector for the spread of chlamydia infections. He described abortions in cows and pigs, placental reactions, and chronic diseases in fetuses.  He reported chlamydia induced a lethal toxin in chicken embryos, and was fatal to pathogen free pigs. Chlamydia conjunctivitis was identified in cats, dogs, cattle, sheep, pigs, parakeets, mice, pigeons, and guinea pigs; and guinea pigs were particularly susceptible to inclusion conjunctivitis. In dogs, chlamydia caused gastrointestinal disorders, granulomatous hepatitis, encephalitis, and pneumoencephalitis. In cows, dogs, and pigs chlamydia caused polyarthritis. He reported genital chlamydia infections in endometritis, epididymitis, LGV non-specific urethritis, proctitis, seminal vesiculitis syndrome; and the venereal nature of inclusion conjunctivitis. He also noted a relationship between ticks and chlamydia.

Dr. Storz said, “Human chlamydia infections are traceable to mammals” and either occur infrequently or remained unrecognized and unreported in humans.