scholarly journals Serological characterization of surface-exposed proteins of Coxiella burnetii

Microbiology ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 160 (12) ◽  
pp. 2718-2731 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun Jiao ◽  
Xiaolu Xiong ◽  
Yong Qi ◽  
Wenping Gong ◽  
Changsong Duan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coxiella Burnetii ◽  
Bioinformatics Analysis ◽  
Q Fever ◽  
Obligate Intracellular ◽  
Rickettsia Rickettsii ◽  
Serological Characterization ◽  
Vaccine Antigens ◽  
Mycoplasma Pneumonia ◽  
Dimensional Electrophoresis

The obligate intracellular Gram-negative bacterium Coxiella burnetii causes Q fever, a worldwide zoonosis. Here we labelled Cox . burnetii with biotin and used biotin-streptavidin affinity chromatography to isolate surface-exposed proteins (SEPs). Using two-dimensional electrophoresis combined with mass spectrometry, we identified 37 proteins through bioinformatics analysis. Thirty SEPs expressed in Escherichia coli (recombinant SEPs, rSEPs) were used to generate microarrays, which were probed with sera from mice experimentally infected with Cox. burnetii or sera from Q fever patients. Thirteen rSEPs were recognized as seroreactive, and the majority reacted with at least 50 % of the sera from mice infected with Cox. burnetii but not with sera from mice infected with Rickettsia rickettsii, R. heilongjiangensis, or R. typhi. Further, 13 proteins that reacted with sera from patients with Q fever did not react with sera from patients with brucellosis or mycoplasma pneumonia. Our results suggest that these seroreactive SEPs have potential as serodiagnostic antigens or as subunit vaccine antigens against Q fever.

A study of the correlation between Coxiella burnetii seropositivity and abortions in sheep in Eastern and Southeastern Turkey

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayse Kilic ◽  
Hakan Kalender
Keyword(s):  
Immunosorbent Assay ◽  
Coxiella Burnetii ◽  
Q Fever ◽  
Antibody Detection ◽  
Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽  
Eastern Anatolia ◽  
Obligate Intracellular Bacterium ◽  
Serum Samples ◽  
Obligate Intracellular ◽  
Elisa Kit

Q fever is a zoonotic disease that occurs worldwide and is caused by the obligate intracellular bacterium Coxiella burnetii. Infected animals are usually asymptomatic, but infection can cause abortion and stillbirth in ruminants. The main purpose of this study was to evaluate prevalance of Coxiella burnetii infection in aborted and nonaborted sheep serum samples in Eastern Anatolia region by using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The determine of prevalance in sheep flocks from four provinces (Elazig, Malatya, Tunceli, Bitlis) and tested for anti-C.burnetii antibody detection, by means of Chekit Q fever Elisa kit. 350 serum samples obtained from flocks belonging aborted sheep showed that a total of 56 (16%) were detected seropositivity, whereas 171 serum samples obtained from nonaborted sheep flocks in 13 of the 171 (7.60%) for C.burnetii in seropositivity were observed. Coxiellosis should be considered an important cause of sheep with abortion history and nonaborted in Elazig and neighboring provinces.

scholarly journals Q fever

2012 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 170
Author(s):  
Robert Norton
Keyword(s):  
Coxiella Burnetii ◽  
Q Fever ◽  
Environmental Sampling ◽  
High Likelihood ◽  
Obligate Intracellular Bacterium ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Obligate Intracellular ◽  
Chronic Q Fever ◽  
Specific Symptoms ◽  
Occupational Contact

Q fever is a zoonosis caused by the obligate intracellular bacterium Coxiella burnetii. North Queensland has some of the highest rates of Q fever notifications in Australia. The clinical diagnosis of Q fever can be difficult with non-specific symptoms. Up to 5% of cases will develop chronic Q fever with a high likelihood of endocarditis. Diagnosis is essentially by serology. In North Queensland cases have clustered in relatively new, semi-rural suburbs which lie adjacent to native bushland. Native mammals are attracted to new growth in these cleared areas, particularly after the wet season. There is little or no occupational contact with traditional sources of Q fever such as cattle. Seroprevalence studies on native mammals have shown higher levels of seropositivity in native mammals than in cattle. It is postulated that the increase in human cases seen from these areas are a direct effect of interaction between native mammals and humans. Further studies on environmental sampling is currently under way.

scholarly journals Coxiella burnetii Inhibits Activation of Host Cell Apoptosis through a Mechanism That Involves Preventing Cytochrome c Release from Mitochondria

2007 ◽  
Vol 75 (11) ◽  
pp. 5282-5289 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anja Lührmann ◽  
Craig R. Roy
Keyword(s):  
Cell Death ◽  
Host Cell ◽  
Coxiella Burnetii ◽  
Mammalian Cells ◽  
Q Fever ◽  
Host Cells ◽  
Intracellular Pathogen ◽  
Obligate Intracellular ◽  
Cell Death Pathway ◽  
Obligate Intracellular Pathogen

ABSTRACT Coxiella burnetii is an obligate intracellular pathogen and the etiological agent of the human disease Q fever. C. burnetii infects mammalian cells and then remodels the membrane-bound compartment in which it resides into a unique lysosome-derived organelle that supports bacterial multiplication. To gain insight into the mechanisms by which C. burnetii is able to multiply intracellularly, we examined the ability of host cells to respond to signals that normally induce apoptosis. Our data show that mammalian cells infected with C. burnetii are resistant to apoptosis induced by staurosporine and UV light. C. burnetii infection prevented caspase 3/7 activation and limited fragmentation of the host cell nucleus in response to agonists that induce apoptosis. Inhibition of bacterial protein synthesis reduced the antiapoptotic effect that C. burnetii exerted on infected host cells. Inhibition of apoptosis in C. burnetii-infected cells did not correlate with the degradation of proapoptotic BH3-only proteins involved in activation of the intrinsic cell death pathway; however, cytochrome c release from mitochondria was diminished in cells infected with C. burnetii upon induction of apoptosis. These data indicate that C. burnetii can interfere with the intrinsic cell death pathway during infection by producing proteins that either directly or indirectly prevent release of cytochrome c from mitochondria. It is likely that inhibition of apoptosis by C. burnetii represents an important virulence property that allows this obligate intracellular pathogen to maintain host cell viability despite inducing stress that would normally activate the intrinsic death pathway.

scholarly journals Characterization of a Coxiella burnetii ftsZ Mutant Generated by Himar1 Transposon Mutagenesis

2008 ◽  
Vol 191 (5) ◽  
pp. 1369-1381 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul A. Beare ◽  
Dale Howe ◽  
Diane C. Cockrell ◽  
Anders Omsland ◽  
Bryan Hansen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Division ◽  
Coxiella Burnetii ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Q Fever ◽  
Vero Cells ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Lower Growth ◽  
C Terminus ◽  
Lower Growth Rate

ABSTRACT Coxiella burnetii is a gram-negative obligate intracellular bacterium and the causative agent of human Q fever. The lack of methods to genetically manipulate C. burnetii significantly impedes the study of this organism. We describe here the cloning and characterization of a C. burnetii ftsZ mutant generated by mariner-based Himar1 transposon (Tn) mutagenesis. C. burnetii was coelectroporated with a plasmid encoding the Himar1 C9 transposase variant and a plasmid containing a Himar1 transposon encoding chloramphenicol acetyltransferase, mCherry fluorescent protein, and a ColE1 origin of replication. Vero cells were infected with electroporated C. burnetii and transformants scored as organisms replicating in the presence of chloramphenicol and expressing mCherry. Southern blot analysis revealed multiple transpositions in the C. burnetii genome and rescue cloning identified 30 and 5 insertions in coding and noncoding regions, respectively. Using micromanipulation, a C. burnetii clone was isolated containing a Tn insertion within the C terminus of the cell division gene ftsZ. The ftsZ mutant had a significantly lower growth rate than wild-type bacteria and frequently appeared as filamentous forms displaying incomplete cell division septa. The latter phenotype correlated with a deficiency in generating infectious foci on a per-genome basis compared to wild-type organisms. The mutant FtsZ protein was also unable to bind the essential cell division protein FtsA. This is the first description of C. burnetii harboring a defined gene mutation generated by genetic transformation.

scholarly journals Coxiella burnetii Shedding in Milk and Molecular Typing of Strains Infecting Dairy Cows in Greece

Pathogens ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 287
Author(s):  
Emmanouil Kalaitzakis ◽  
Tiziano Fancello ◽  
Xavier Simons ◽  
Ilias Chaligiannis ◽  
Sara Tomaiuolo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Coxiella Burnetii ◽  
Q Fever ◽  
Variable Number Tandem Repeat ◽  
Variable Number ◽  
Human Infection ◽  
Animal Reservoir

Ruminants are considered the commonest animal reservoir for human infection of Coxiella burnetii, the Q fever causative agent. Considering the recently described importance of human Q fever in Greece, we aimed at providing the first comprehensive direct evidence of C. burnetii in dairy cows in Greece, including the genetic characterization of strains. The 462 examined dairy farms represented all geographical areas of Greece. One bulk tank milk sample was collected from every farm and tested for the presence of C. burnetii. Molecular genotyping of strains, performed directly on samples, revealed the existence of two separate clades characterized by single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotypes of type 1 and type 2. The two clades were clearly distinguished in multiple locus variable-number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA) by two discriminative loci: MS30 and MS28. Whereas MLVA profiles of SNP-type 2 clade were closely related to strains described in other European cattle populations, the MLVA profile observed within the SNP type 1 clade highlighted a peculiar genetic signature for Greece, related to genotypes found in sheep and goats in Europe. The shedding of C. burnetii bearing this genotype might have yet undefined human epidemiological consequences. Surveillance of the genetic distribution of C. burnetii from different sources is needed to fully understand the epidemiology of Q fever in Greece.

scholarly journals Phagocytosis of Apoptotic Cells Increases the Susceptibility of Macrophages to Infection with Coxiella burnetii Phase II through Down-Modulation of Nitric Oxide Production

2004 ◽  
Vol 72 (4) ◽  
pp. 2075-2080 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dario S. Zamboni ◽  
Michel Rabinovitch
Keyword(s):  
Nitric Oxide ◽  
Coxiella Burnetii ◽  
Q Fever ◽  
Bacterial Load ◽  
Peritoneal Macrophages ◽  
No Synthase ◽  
Obligate Intracellular Bacterium ◽  
Biologically Relevant ◽  
Obligate Intracellular ◽  
Synthase Inhibitor

ABSTRACT Coxiella burnetii, the agent of Q fever in humans and coxiellosis in other mammals, is an obligate intracellular bacterium which is sheltered and multiplies within typically large phagolysosome-like replicative vacuoles (LRVs). We have previously shown that, compared with fibroblasts, mouse resident peritoneal macrophages control the development of LRVs and bacterial multiplication within these vacuoles. Earlier experiments with the nitric oxide (NO) synthase inhibitor aminoguanidine (AG) revealed that the control is exerted by NO induced by the bacteria. We report here that phagocytosis of apoptotic-like, but not of aldehyde-killed, lymphocytes by the macrophages reduced the production of NO induced by the bacteria and increased the development of LRVs and, therefore, the total bacterial load in the cultures. Experiments with macrophages from mice deficient for inducible NO synthase (iNOS−/−) confirmed the involvement of NO in the control of infection, since neither apoptotic lymphocytes nor AG affected the development of LRVs in these phagocytes. Since macrophages are important for the clearance of apoptotic bodies and C. burnetii is able to induce apoptosis in human monocytes, the phenomenon shown here may be biologically relevant to the development of Q fever and coxiellosis.

scholarly journals Immunohistochemical Detection of Coxiella burnetii in Cattle Spleen Organs from Ampel Slaughterhouse, Boyolali Regency

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 48
Author(s):  
Eko Prasetyo Nugroho ◽  
Agus Setiyono ◽  
Upik Kesumawati Hadi ◽  
Wiwin Winarsih ◽  
Dwi Astuti
Keyword(s):  
Coxiella Burnetii ◽  
Q Fever ◽  
Intracellular Bacteria ◽  
Bacterial Disease ◽  
Immunohistochemical Detection ◽  
Immunohistochemical Examination ◽  
Obligate Intracellular ◽  
Positive Individual ◽  
Liver And Kidney ◽  
Obligate Intracellular Bacteria

Q-fever is a zoonotic bacterial disease that caused by Coxiella burnetii. These microorganism are gram negative and obligate intracellular bacteria. This study was conducted to detect C. burnetii in cattle organs which collected from Ampel slaughterhouse Boyolali Regency. In this study, spleen, heart, lung, liver and kidney were collected from 100 cattle. The samples were tested by immunohistochemical (IHC) method using polyclonal anti- C. burnetii antibodies. Immunohistochemical examination found the presence of C. burnetii in the cytoplasm of macrophage cells with specific brown color only in the spleen as many as 4 out of 100 cattle showing immunoreactive (4%). The four positive individual samples were from Simental cattle. These results indicate that Q-fever was found in local cattle in Boyolali Regency.

scholarly journals Coxiella burnetii in Infertile Dairy Cattle With Chronic Endometritis

2018 ◽  
Vol 55 (4) ◽  
pp. 539-542 ◽  
Author(s):  
Davide De Biase ◽  
Alessandro Costagliola ◽  
Fabio Del Piero ◽  
Rossella Di Palo ◽  
Domenico Coronati ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cattle ◽  
Coxiella Burnetii ◽  
Animal Species ◽  
Bacterial Culture ◽  
Q Fever ◽  
Premature Delivery ◽  
Chronic Endometritis ◽  
Obligate Intracellular ◽  
Obligate Intracellular Pathogen ◽  
First Time

Coxiella burnetii is an obligate intracellular pathogen and the cause of Q fever in many animal species and humans. Several studies have reported the association between C. burnetii and abortion, premature delivery, stillbirth, and weak offspring. However, no solid evidence indicates that C. burnetii causes endometritis, subfertility, and retained fetal membranes. For this study, histopathological and PCR evaluation were performed on 40 uterine biopsies from dairy cattle with poor fertility. Uterine swabs were concurrently tested with microbiology assays. The endometrial biopsies of 30 cows did not have any significant lesions, and no pathogens were identified by aerobic bacterial culture and PCR. Ten cows were PCR-positive for C. burnetii and negative for other pathogens by aerobic bacterial culture and PCR. These 10 cases revealed a mild to severe chronic endometritis admixed with perivascular and periglandular fibrosis. Immunohistochemical evaluation of C. burnetii PCR-positive biopsies identified, for the first time, the presence of intralesional and intracytoplasmic C. burnetii in macrophages in the endometrium of cattle.

scholarly journals Presence of Coxiella burnetii DNA in the Environment of the United States, 2006 to 2008

2010 ◽  
Vol 76 (13) ◽  
pp. 4469-4475 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gilbert J. Kersh ◽  
Teresa M. Wolfe ◽  
Kelly A. Fitzpatrick ◽  
Amanda J. Candee ◽  
Lindsay D. Oliver ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Coxiella Burnetii ◽  
Q Fever ◽  
The United States ◽  
Obligate Intracellular ◽  
The Past ◽  
Background Levels ◽  
Post Offices ◽  
Animal Populations ◽  
Domestic Livestock

ABSTRACT Coxiella burnetii is an obligate intracellular bacterium that causes the zoonotic disease Q fever. Because C. burnetii is highly infectious, can survive under a variety of environmental conditions, and has been weaponized in the past, it is classified as a select agent and is considered a potential bioweapon. The agent is known to be present in domestic livestock and in wild animal populations, but the background levels of C. burnetii in the environment have not been reported. To better understand the amount of C. burnetii present in the environment of the United States, more than 1,600 environmental samples were collected from six geographically diverse parts of the United States in the years 2006 to 2008. DNA was purified from these samples, and the presence of C. burnetii DNA was evaluated by quantitative PCR of the IS1111 repetitive element. Overall, 23.8% of the samples were positive for C. burnetii DNA. The prevalence in the different states ranged from 6 to 44%. C. burnetii DNA was detected in locations with livestock and also in locations with primarily human activity (post offices, stores, schools, etc.). This study demonstrates that C. burnetii is fairly common in the environment in the United States, and any analysis of C. burnetii after a suspected intentional release should be interpreted in light of these background levels. It also suggests that human exposure to C. burnetii may be more common than what is suggested by the number of reported cases of Q fever.

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