scholarly journals Serological evidence of Coxiella burnetii infection in cattle and farm workers: is Q fever an underreported zoonotic disease in Ecuador?

2019 ◽  
Vol Volume 12 ◽  
pp. 701-706 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gustavo Echeverría ◽  
Armando Reyna-Bello ◽  
Elizabeth Minda-Aluisa ◽  
Maritza Celi-Erazo ◽  
Lisbeth Olmedo ◽  
...  
2011 ◽  
Vol 140 (7) ◽  
pp. 1304-1308 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. COOPER ◽  
M. GOULLET ◽  
J. MITCHELL ◽  
N. KETHEESAN ◽  
B. GOVAN

SUMMARYThe state of Queensland has the highest incidence of Q fever in Australia. In recent years, there has been an increase in human cases where no contacts with the typical reservoir animals or occupations were reported. The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of Coxiella burnetii in Australian native animals and introduced animals in northern and southeastern Queensland. Australian native marsupials sampled included the brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) and common northern bandicoot (Isoodon macrourus). Introduced species sampled included dingoes (Canis lupus dingo), cats (Felis catus), foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and pigs (Sus scrofa). Serum samples were tested by ELISA for both phase II and phase I antigens of the organism using an Australian isolate. The serological evidence of C. burnetii infection demonstrated in these species has public health implications due to their increasing movement into residential areas in regional Queensland. This study is the first known investigation of C. burnetii seroprevalence in these species in northern Queensland.


Pathogens ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 258
Author(s):  
Maruping Mangena ◽  
Nomakorinte Gcebe ◽  
Rian Pierneef ◽  
Peter N. Thompson ◽  
Abiodun A. Adesiyun

Q fever is a neglected zoonosis in South Africa, causing significant losses in livestock and game animals through reproductive disorders. However, there are limited studies on the extent of Coxiella burnetii infections in livestock in South Africa. Further, there is also lack of knowledge about the types of C. burnetii strains that are currently circulating in the country. Therefore, a cross-sectional, abattoir-based study was conducted to determine the seroprevalence of C. burnetii and associated risk factors, and to characterize C. burnetii strains from slaughter livestock at red meat abattoirs in Gauteng, South Africa. Of the 507 animals tested, 6.9% (95% CI: 4.9–9.5%) were positive for antibodies against C. burnetii. The seroprevalence was 9.4% (31/331) in cattle, 4.3% (3/69) in sheep, and 0.9% (1/107) in pigs. Out of the 63 tissue samples from 35 seropositive animals including material from two sheep aborted fetuses from Mangaung district (Free State province), 12.7% (8/63) tested positive by IS1111 PCR. Genotyping of the eight PCR-positive tissues from eight animals by MLVA revealed two novel genotypes, not available in Coxiella MLVA databases. It is concluded that slaughter animals pose a risk of exposing abattoir and farm workers to C. burnetii in South Africa.


2002 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 164-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas J Marrie ◽  
Emidio de Carolis ◽  

The present study tested acute and convalescent serum samples from 788 patients hospitalized for community-acquired pneumonia in seven Canadian provinces for antibodies toCoxiella burnetii. One hundred nine patients (13.8%) had antibodies to this microorganism, and seven patients had acute Q fever. Serological evidence of infection withC burnetiiwas present in patients from all seven provinces. Three of the seven cases of acute Q fever were from Manitoba, suggesting that there may be unrecognized cases of Q fever in this province. In addition, a case of acute Q fever in Newfoundland, where there had previously been no reported cases, was noted, although subsequently, an outbreak of Q fever on goat farms has been reported.


1991 ◽  
Vol 35 (7) ◽  
pp. 577-581 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kiyotaka Yoshiie ◽  
Hiroshi Oda ◽  
Naoyuki Nagano ◽  
Seiken Matayoshi

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (10) ◽  
pp. 643-649 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shannon Meadows ◽  
Andria Jones-Bitton ◽  
Scott A. McEwen ◽  
Jocelyn Jansen ◽  
Samir N. Patel ◽  
...  

2019 ◽  
Vol 77 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mebratu A Bitew ◽  
Nadeeka K Wawegama ◽  
Hayley J Newton ◽  
Fiona M Sansom

ABSTRACT The zoonotic disease Q fever caused by the intracellular bacterium Coxiella burnetii remains a global health threat due to its high infectivity, environmental stability, the debilitating nature and the long duration of treatment. Designing new and potent drugs that target previously unexplored pathways is essential to shorten treatment time and minimise antibiotic resistance. Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) is an essential and ubiquitous cofactor in all living organisms. NadB, an L-aspartate oxidase catalysing the first step of the prokaryotic-specific NAD de novo biosynthetic pathway, is required for C. burnetii growth and replication inside host cells. In this study, in vitro enzyme assays utilising recombinant glutathione S-transferase tagged NadB (GST-NadB) demonstrated inhibition of the L-aspartate oxidase activity of NadB by meso-tartrate. Furthermore, meso-tartrate inhibits intracellular growth and replication of C. burnetii inside host cells in a dose-dependent manner, and has no effect on the viability of mammalian cells. Unexpectedly, meso-tartrate also inhibited growth of C. burnetii in axenic medium, and further reduces replication of the nadB mutant inside host cells, suggesting it is acting more widely than simple inhibition of NadB. Overall, these results suggest that the antibacterial activity of meso-tartrate warrants further study, including investigation of its additional target(s).


Author(s):  
Fernando C. Cardona

Q fever is an emerging worldwide zoonotic disease caused by a bacterium Coxiella burnetii.  Detection of Q fever antibodies among humans and animals was conducted using sera from human donors and sera from three different species of animals obtained from Catarman, Northern Samar, Los Baños, Laguna, and General Santos City, South Cotabato, Philippines.  The Complement Fixation Test (CFT) was used to detect antibodies in sera samples.  The result of the study showed that Q fever antibodies in humans were found to be 37% (22/60) while the sampled animals have 43 % (77/180).  Among the animals, the highest occurrence of antibodies was observed in goats with 70% (42/60), followed by 40% among cattle (24/60) and the least 18% were from carabaos (11/60). According to sampling sites, 20% (12/60) of antibody-positive humans were from Los Baños, Laguna, some 17% (10/60) came from General Santos City and none from Catarman, Northern Samar.  Among the goats examined, a higher percentage of Q fever antibodies were obtained from those in Los Baños with 30% (18/60) occurrence, and from General Santos City with 25% (15/60) occurrence. Likewise, an equal occurrence rates of Q fever antibodies among cattle came from Los Baños, Laguna and General Santos City each with 20% (12/60) seropositivity, respectively. Among the carabaos, 18% (11/60) was in General Santos City and 8% (5/60) in Catarman. Based on these findings, it could be inferred that Q fever infection exists among humans, goats, cattle, and carabaos in the Philippines.


2013 ◽  
Vol 79 (5) ◽  
pp. 1697-1703 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gilbert J. Kersh ◽  
Kelly A. Fitzpatrick ◽  
Joshua S. Self ◽  
Rachael A. Priestley ◽  
Aubree J. Kelly ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTQ fever is a zoonotic disease caused by inhalation of the bacteriumCoxiella burnetii. Ruminant livestock are common reservoirs forC. burnetii, and bacteria present in aerosols derived from the waste of infected animals can infect humans. The significance of infection from material deposited in the environment versus transmission directly from infected animals is not known. In 2011, an outbreak of Q fever cases on farms in Washington and Montana was associated with infected goats. A study was undertaken to investigate the quantity and spatial distribution ofC. burnetiiin the environment of these goat farms. Soil, vacuum, and sponge samples collected on seven farms epidemiologically linked to the outbreak were tested for the presence ofC. burnetiiDNA by quantitative PCR. Overall, 70.1% of the samples were positive forC. burnetii. All farms had positive samples, but the quantity ofC. burnetiivaried widely between samples and between farms. High quantities ofC. burnetiiDNA were in goat housing/birthing areas, and only small quantities were found in samples collected more than 50 m from these areas. Follow-up sampling at one of the farms 1 year after the outbreak found small quantities ofC. burnetiiDNA in air samples and large quantities ofC. burnetiipersisting in soil and vacuum samples. The results suggest that the highest concentrations of environmentalC. burnetiiare found in goat birthing areas and that contamination of other areas is mostly associated with human movement.


Pathogens ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 1075
Author(s):  
Salvatore Ledda ◽  
Cinzia Santucciu ◽  
Valentina Chisu ◽  
Giovanna Masala

Q fever is a zoonosis caused by Coxiella burnetii, a Gram-negative pathogen with a complex life cycle and a high impact on public and animal health all over the world. The symptoms are indistinguishable from those belonging to other diseases, and the disease could be symptomless. For these reasons, reliable laboratory tests are essential for an accurate diagnosis. The aim of this study was to validate a novel enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test, named the Chorus Q Fever Phase II IgG and IgM Kit (DIESSE, Diagnostica Senese S.p.A), which is performed by an instrument named Chorus, a new device in medical diagnostics. This diagnostic test is employed for the detection of antibodies against C. burnetii Phase II antigens in acute disease. Our validation protocol was performed according to the Italian Accreditation Body (ACCREDIA) (Regulation UNI CEI EN ISO/IEC 17025:2018 and 17043:2010), OIE (World Organization for Animal Health), and Statement for Reporting Studies of Diagnostic Accuracy (STARD). Operator performance was evaluated along with the analytical specificity and sensitivity (ASp and ASe) and diagnostic accuracy of the kit, with parameters such as diagnostic specificity and sensitivity (DSp and DSe) and positive and negative predictive values (PPV and NPV), in addition to the repeatability. According to the evaluated parameters, the diagnostic ELISA test was shown to be suitable for validation and commercialization as a screening method in human sera and a valid support for clinical diagnostics.


npj Vaccines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Carrie M. Long ◽  
Paul A. Beare ◽  
Diane C. Cockrell ◽  
Jonathan Fintzi ◽  
Mahelat Tesfamariam ◽  
...  

AbstractCoxiella burnetii is the bacterial causative agent of the zoonosis Q fever. The current human Q fever vaccine, Q-VAX®, is a fixed, whole cell vaccine (WCV) licensed solely for use in Australia. C. burnetii WCV administration is associated with a dermal hypersensitivity reaction in people with pre-existing immunity to C. burnetii, limiting wider use. Consequently, a less reactogenic vaccine is needed. Here, we investigated contributions of the C. burnetii Dot/Icm type IVB secretion system (T4BSS) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in protection and reactogenicity of fixed WCVs. A 32.5 kb region containing 23 dot/icm genes was deleted in the virulent Nine Mile phase I (NMI) strain and the resulting mutant was evaluated in guinea pig models of C. burnetii infection, vaccination-challenge, and post-vaccination hypersensitivity. The NMI ∆dot/icm strain was avirulent, protective as a WCV against a robust C. burnetii challenge, and displayed potentially altered reactogenicity compared to NMI. Nine Mile phase II (NMII) strains of C. burnetii that produce rough LPS, were similarly tested. NMI was significantly more protective than NMII as a WCV; however, both vaccines exhibited similar reactogenicity. Collectively, our results indicate that, like phase I LPS, the T4BSS is required for full virulence by C. burnetii. Conversely, unlike phase I LPS, the T4BSS is not required for vaccine-induced protection. LPS length does not appear to contribute to reactogenicity while the T4BSS may contribute to this response. NMI ∆dot/icm represents an avirulent phase I strain with full vaccine efficacy, illustrating the potential of genetically modified C. burnetii as improved WCVs.


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