Molecular Detection of Coxiella Burnetii in Small Ruminants and Genotyping of Specimens Collected from Goats in Poland

Overview

Journal BMC Vet Res

Publisher Biomed Central

Specialty Veterinary Medicine

Date 2021 Oct 29

PMID 34711239

Citations 8

Authors

Agnieszka Jodelko

Monika Szymanska-Czerwinska

Jolanta Grazyna Rola

Krzysztof Niemczuk

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Coxiella burnetii is the etiological agent of Q fever, a zoonosis affecting many animal species including sheep and goats. The aims of this study were to evaluate the shedding of Coxiella burnetii in small ruminant herds and to identify the pathogen's genotypes and sequence types (STs) using multiple-locus variable number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA) and multispacer sequence typing (MST) methods.

Results: Overall, 165 samples from 43 herds of goats and 9 flocks of sheep were collected including bulk tank milk (BTM), individual milk samples, vaginal swabs, tissue sections from stillborn kids, feces and placentas. These were tested by real-time PCR targeting the IS1111 element. C. burnetii infection was confirmed in 51.16% of the herds of goats and 22.2% of the flocks of sheep. Six out of nine samples originating from goats were successfully genotyped using the MLVA method. The presence was confirmed of two widely distributed MLVA genotypes (I and J) and genotype PL1 previously reported only in cattle. Only one sequence type (ST61) was identified; however, the majority of specimens represented partial STs and some of them may belong to ST61. Other partial STs could possibly be ST74.

Conclusion: This study confirmed the relatively common occurrence of Coxiella burnetii in small ruminant herds in Poland. Interestingly, all genotyped samples represent cattle-associated MLVA genotypes.

Citing Articles

Detection of in Bulk Tank Milk of Dairy Small Ruminant Farms in Greece.

Lianou D, Giannoulis T, Michael C, Vasileiou N, Petinaki E, Katsafadou A Foods. 2025; 14(3).

PMID: 39942053 PMC: 11817811. DOI: 10.3390/foods14030460.

Molecular Testing of Zoonotic Bacteria in Cattle, Sheep, and Goat Abortion Cases in Botswana.

Modise-Tlotleng B, Mpoloka S, Settypalli T, Hyera J, Kgotlele T, Kumile K Microorganisms. 2025; 12(12.

PMID: 39770846 PMC: 11728289. DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms12122644.

in domestic doe goats in the United States, 2019-2020.

Miller H, Branan M, Priestley R, Alvarez-Alonso R, Cherry C, Smith C Front Vet Sci. 2024; 11:1393296.

PMID: 38774910 PMC: 11107086. DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1393296.

Molecular detection of Coxiella burnetii in tick and blood samples from small ruminants in northwest of Iran.

Ghazanabad A, Esfandiari N, Najafi M, Mehrabi S, Sarani S, Khademi P Exp Appl Acarol. 2024; 92(3):529-546.

PMID: 38407754 DOI: 10.1007/s10493-023-00888-y.

Detection of Coxiella burnetii in the mammary gland of a dairy goat.

Bauer B, Peters M, Herms T, Runge M, Wohlsein P, Jensen T Vet Res Commun. 2024; 48(3):1341-1352.

PMID: 38236458 PMC: 11147866. DOI: 10.1007/s11259-023-10233-8.

References

Szymanska-Czerwinska M, Jodelko A, Pluta M, Kowalik S, Niemczuk K . Seroprevalence of Coxiella burnetii among domestic ruminants and horses in Poland. Acta Virol. 2017; 61(3):369-371. DOI: 10.4149/av_2017_318. View

Stein A, Raoult D . Pigeon pneumonia in provence: a bird-borne Q fever outbreak. Clin Infect Dis. 1999; 29(3):617-20. DOI: 10.1086/598643. View

Szymanska-Czerwinska M, Galinska E, Niemczuk K, Zasepa M . Prevalence of Coxiella burnetii infection in foresters and ticks in the south-eastern Poland and comparison of diagnostic methods. Ann Agric Environ Med. 2013; 20(4):699-704. View

Anastacio S, Carolino N, Sidi-Boumedine K, Silva G . Q Fever Dairy Herd Status Determination Based on Serological and Molecular Analysis of Bulk Tank Milk. Transbound Emerg Dis. 2014; 63(2):e293-300. DOI: 10.1111/tbed.12275. View

Mioni M, Sidi-Boumedine K, Dalanezi F, Joaquim S, Denadai R, Teixeira W . New Genotypes of Circulating in Brazil and Argentina. Pathogens. 2020; 9(1). PMC: 7168634. DOI: 10.3390/pathogens9010030. View

Gonzalez-Barrio D, Hagen F, Tilburg J, Ruiz-Fons F . Coxiella burnetii Genotypes in Iberian Wildlife. Microb Ecol. 2016; 72(4):890-897. DOI: 10.1007/s00248-016-0786-9. View

Astobiza I, Tilburg J, Pinero A, Hurtado A, Garcia-Perez A, Nabuurs-Franssen M . Genotyping of Coxiella burnetii from domestic ruminants in northern Spain. BMC Vet Res. 2012; 8:241. PMC: 3528428. DOI: 10.1186/1746-6148-8-241. View

Arricau Bouvery N, Souriau A, Lechopier P, Rodolakis A . Experimental Coxiella burnetii infection in pregnant goats: excretion routes. Vet Res. 2003; 34(4):423-33. DOI: 10.1051/vetres:2003017. View

Tilburg J, Roest H, Nabuurs-Franssen M, Horrevorts A, Klaassen C . Genotyping reveals the presence of a predominant genotype of Coxiella burnetii in consumer milk products. J Clin Microbiol. 2012; 50(6):2156-8. PMC: 3372143. DOI: 10.1128/JCM.06831-11. View

10.

Bauer B, Prufer L, Walter M, Ganter I, Frangoulidis D, Runge M . Comparison of Excretion between Sheep and Goats Naturally Infected with One Cattle-Associated Genotype. Pathogens. 2020; 9(8). PMC: 7459479. DOI: 10.3390/pathogens9080652. View

11.

Czopowicz M, Kaba J, Szalus-Jordanow O, Nowicki M, Witkowski L, Nowicka D . Prevalence of antibodies against Chlamydophila abortus and Coxiella burnetii in goat herds in Poland. Pol J Vet Sci. 2010; 13(1):175-9. View

12.

Brown G, Colwell D, HOOPER W . An outbreak of Q fever in Staffordshire. J Hyg (Lond). 1968; 66(4):649-55. PMC: 2130668. DOI: 10.1017/s0022172400028382. View

13.

Bielawska-Drozd A, Cieslik P, Mirski T, Gawel J, Michalski A, Niemcewicz M . Prevalence of Coxiella burnetii in environmental samples collected from cattle farms in Eastern and Central Poland (2011-2012). Vet Microbiol. 2014; 174(3-4):600-606. DOI: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2014.09.034. View

14.

Signs K, Stobierski M, Gandhi T . Q fever cluster among raw milk drinkers in Michigan, 2011. Clin Infect Dis. 2012; 55(10):1387-9. DOI: 10.1093/cid/cis690. View

15.

Koehler L, Kloppert B, Hamann H, El-Sayed A, Zschock M . Comprehensive literature review of the sources of infection and transmission routes of Coxiella burnetii, with particular regard to the criteria of "evidence-based medicine". Comp Immunol Microbiol Infect Dis. 2019; 64:67-72. DOI: 10.1016/j.cimid.2019.02.004. View

16.

Fernandez-Aguilar X, Cabezon O, Colom-Cadena A, Lavin S, Lopez-Olvera J . Serological survey of Coxiella burnetii at the wildlife-livestock interface in the Eastern Pyrenees, Spain. Acta Vet Scand. 2016; 58:26. PMC: 4848809. DOI: 10.1186/s13028-016-0209-4. View

17.

Garcia-Perez A, Astobiza I, Barandika J, Atxaerandio R, Hurtado A, Juste R . Short communication: investigation of Coxiella burnetii occurrence in dairy sheep flocks by bulk-tank milk analysis and antibody level determination. J Dairy Sci. 2009; 92(4):1581-4. DOI: 10.3168/jds.2008-1672. View

18.

Pinsky R, Fishbein D, Greene C, Gensheimer K . An outbreak of cat-associated Q fever in the United States. J Infect Dis. 1991; 164(1):202-4. DOI: 10.1093/infdis/164.1.202. View

19.

Boarbi S, Mori M, Rousset E, Sidi-Boumedine K, Van Esbroeck M, Fretin D . Prevalence and molecular typing of Coxiella burnetii in bulk tank milk in Belgian dairy goats, 2009-2013. Vet Microbiol. 2014; 170(1-2):117-24. DOI: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2014.01.025. View

20.

van den Brom R, van Engelen E, Roest H, van der Hoek W, Vellema P . Coxiella burnetii infections in sheep or goats: an opinionated review. Vet Microbiol. 2015; 181(1-2):119-29. DOI: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2015.07.011. View