Remember a few days ago when we reported about the chlamydia epidemic among Japanese high school students?

Well, today our chlamydia watch takes us to the San Francisco Zoo where the bacteria is being blamed for the death of about a dozen penguins. Stricken birds eventually succumb to respiratory distress and kidney failure.

“We suspect it could have something to do with the gulls and their droppings but it could have been something else,” zoo spokeswoman Nancy Chan said.

Fifty-five other penguins survived the outbreak, which zoo officials believe started in late February.

Now I don’t want to say anything, but isn’t San Francisco a favorite stop for Japanese tourists?