FIG 2 - uploaded by Timothy Baszler
Content may be subject to copyright.
Map of 39 counties in Washington State. Eight counties had at least one herd with a seropositive animal (black). Only seronegative animals were detected in 23 counties (grey). Eight counties were not tested (white).
Source publication
Abstract A caprine herd seroprevalence of Coxiella burnetii infection was determined by passive surveillance of domestic goat herds in Washington State. Serum samples (n=1794) from 105 herds in 31 counties were analyzed for C. burnetii antibodies using a commercially available Q fever antibody enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test kit. The...
Similar publications
Q fever is an important public health concern throughout the world and infection can lifelong illness in the host. It is caused by the bacterium Coxiella burnetii. The most frequent source of infection for human is domestic ruminants. This survey was carried out from April 2017 to May 2018 in some governorates in Egypt. A total of 1200 samples; 740...
Dromedary camels (Camelus dromedarius) are an important protein source for people in semi-arid and arid regions of Africa. In Kenya, camel populations have grown dramatically in the past few decades resulting in the potential for increased disease transmission between humans and camels. An estimated 4 million Kenyans drink unpasteurised camel milk,...
Little is known about
Coxiella burnetii
infection among cattle farmers and farm residents in China. Thus, the present study was conducted to detect the seroprevalence of
C. burnetii
infection and estimate associated risk factors among cattle farmers and farm residents in China. A cross-sectional study was designed, and sera of 362 people living or...
Q fever is a worldwide zoonotic infectious disease due to Coxiella burnetii. The clinical presentation may be acute (pneumonia and/or hepatitis) or chronic (most commonly endocarditis). Diagnosis mainly relies on serology and PCR. We therefore developed a quantitative real-time PCR. We first tested blindly its performance on various clinical sample...
Citations
... burnetii, with or without abortion events. This rate is higher than that reported in a similar study conducted in domestic goat herds from the USA (8.6%) [25]. The seroprevalence rate at the individual level in this study was 44 (8.73%), out of the total 504 tested animals. ...
Q fever is a zoonotic disease caused by Coxiella burnetii (C. burnetii), a pathogen with a high capability for infection. The disease primarily affects ruminants, leading to reproductive disorders, but can also be transmitted to humans through contact with infected animals or their products. In Algeria, Q fever is endemic, but little is known about the presence and circulation of C. burnetii in domestic goats. This study aimed to perform a multicentric serological analysis of C. burnetii antibodies in domestic goats from four provinces in the North East Region of Algeria. A total of 504 goat serum samples were collected from 77 herds, and serological analysis was performed using an indirect ELISA. The overall seroprevalence at the herd level was 35.06%, and 8.73% at the individual level. Herds with a history of abortions showed a high seropositivity rate of 88.9%. This research indicates the wide distribution of C. burnetii in goats in this region, suggesting the potential for zoonotic transmission to humans. Further studies and monitoring programs are essential to gain a comprehensive understanding of C. burnetii epidemiology in Algeria and to prevent or mitigate potential outbreaks. Awareness among practitioners and farmers is crucial to address this public health concern effectively.
... Therefore, reducing bacterial load in the livestock is critical to preventing Q fever outbreaks. C. burnetii is endemic worldwide and sporadic outbreaks have recently been reported in the United States (Karakousis et al., 2006;Anderson et al., 2013;Kersh et al., 2013;Sondgeroth et al., 2013;Dahlgren et al., 2015). A recent large outbreak of Q Fever on a goat farm in the Netherlands cost 307 million Euros in public health management efforts and agricultural interventions (Schimmer et al., 2008;Roest et al., 2011aRoest et al., , 2011bvan Asseldonk et al., 2013). ...
The gram-negative bacterium Coxiella burnetii is the causative agent of Query (Q) fever in humans and coxiellosis in livestock. Host genetics are associated with Coxiella burnetii pathogenesis both in humans and animals; however, it remains unknown if specific genes are associated with severity of infection. We employed the Drosophila Genetics Reference Panel to perform a genome-wide association study to identify host genetic variants that affect host survival to Coxiella burnetii infection. The genome-wide association study identified 64 unique variants (P < 10−5) associated with 25 candidate genes. We examined the role each candidate gene contributes to host survival during Coxiella burnetii infection using flies carrying a null mutation or RNAi knockdown of each candidate. We validated 15 of the 25 candidate genes using at least one method. This is the first report establishing involvement of many of these genes or their homologs with Coxiella burnetii susceptibility in any system. Among the validated genes, FER and tara play roles in the JAK/STAT, JNK, and decapentaplegic/TGF-β signaling pathways which are components of known innate immune responses to Coxiella burnetii infection. CG42673 and DIP-ε play roles in bacterial infection and synaptic signaling but have no previous association with Coxiella burnetii pathogenesis. Furthermore, since the mammalian ortholog of CG13404 (PLGRKT) is an important regulator of macrophage function, CG13404 could play a role in host susceptibility to Coxiella burnetii through hemocyte regulation. These insights provide a foundation for further investigation regarding the genetics of Coxiella burnetii susceptibility across a wide variety of hosts.
... In Australia, extremely low prevalence values (0.67% and 0.5%) were recorded in cattle by Banazis and colleagues (Banazis et al. 2010) and Hore and Kovesdy (Hore and Kovesdy 1972), respectively;. In a study conducted in Washington State (USA), the results identified C. burnetii antibodies in 8.0% of goat serum samples, 8.6% of goat herds, and 25.8% of counties (Sondgeroth et al. 2013). ...
Q fever is a zoonosis caused by Coxiella burnetii, an obligate intracellular gram‑negative bacterium. Infection by C. burnetii has been demonstrated in many animal species, but ruminants are the major reservoirs and the main sources of human infection. In ruminants, C. burnetii infection is often asymptomatic, but it has been also associated with infertility and abortions. In humans, Q fever was considered predominately an occupational hazard due to close contact with infected ruminants by means of their contaminated birth products, urine, feces or milk. Q fever has recently gained renewed attention after the large outbreak in the Netherlands in 2007‑2009, indicating its importance as an emerging public health threat. The seroprevalence of C. burnetii in ruminants is commonly detected by various tests but no official standard technique is still available. According to surveys conducted in many countries of the five continents, a relatively high proportion of farm ruminants are found seropositive to C. burnetii. The only country with an apparent zero prevalence is New Zealand. The seroprevalence in goats and sheep is usually higher than cattle.
... Acute C. burnetii infection in humans is characterized primarily by influenza-like symptoms and pneumonia. Domestic ruminants act as reservoir hosts of C. burnetii and have been implicated in several outbreaks of Q fever worldwide (1)(2)(3). Based on morbidity, low infectious dose, and the environmental stability of the organism, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has designated C. burnetii a category B biological weapon agent (4). C. burnetii presents two antigenic forms: a pathogenic phase I variant and an attenuated phase II variant that has a truncated O chain in its lipopolysaccharide (5,6). ...
Coxiella burnetii is the causative agent of Q fever, a zoonotic disease that threatens both human and animal health. Due to the paucity of experimental animal models, little is known about how host factors interface with bacterial components and affect pathogenesis. Here we used Drosophila melanogaster , in conjunction with the BSL2 Nine Mile phase II (NMII) clone 4 strain of C. burnetii , as a model to investigate host and bacterial components implicated in infection. We demonstrated that adult Drosophila are susceptible to C. burnetii NMII infection and that this bacterial strain, which activates the immune deficiency (IMD) pathway, is able to replicate and cause mortality in the animals. We show that in the absence of Eiger, the only known tumor necrosis factor (TNF) superfamily homolog in Drosophila , Coxiella -infected flies exhibit reduced mortality to infection. We also demonstrated that the Coxiella type 4 secretion system (T4SS) is critical for the formation of the Coxiella -containing vacuole and an establishment of infection in Drosophila . Altogether, our data revealed that the Drosophila TNF homolog Eiger and the Coxiella T4SS are implicated in the pathogenesis of C. burnetii in flies. The Drosophila /NMII model mimics relevant aspects of the infection in mammals, such as a critical role of host TNF and the bacterial T4SS in pathogenesis. Our work also demonstrates the usefulness of this BSL2 model to investigate both host and Coxiella components implicated in infection.
... Although C. burnetii is presumed to be endemic in domestic ruminants (Norlander, 2000) and ubiquitous in the environment (Kersh et al., 2010(Kersh et al., , 2013, limited studies evaluating its prevalence among goats in United States have been performed. Estimates of seroprevalence in goats have been made in Washington state (Sondgeroth et al., 2013) and Missouri (Baker and Pithua, 2014). Understanding the regional prevalence of C. burnetii in reservoir species can help public health agencies prepare for potential Q fever outbreaks. ...
... Estimations of C. burnetii prevalence vary depending upon the sample source and the type of testing utilized. The adjusted estimated seroprevalence of 3.1% in Indiana determined in this study is somewhat lower than the seroprevalence findings of 8.0% reported in Washington State (Sondgeroth et al., 2013) and somewhat higher than 1.2% reported in Boer goats in Missouri (Baker and Pithua, 2014). The 2.3% prevalence of shedding of C. burnetii in milk samples in this study is lower than that determined in other studies (Arricau-Bouvery et al., 2003). ...
Coxiella burnetii is the etiologic agent of the zoonotic disease Q fever and is considered to be endemic in domestic ruminants. Small ruminants in particular are important reservoirs for human infection. Serologic and molecular methods are both available for diagnosis of infection with C. burnetii, but there has been little research evaluating the prevalence of this organism in small ruminants outside of the context of clinical disease outbreaks. The objectives of this study were to estimate seroprevalence of C. burnetii and the prevalence of shedding of C. burnetii DNA in milk by goats in Indiana, USA, to evaluate potential risk factors for association with C. burnetii exposure and shedding, and to assess the level of agreement between the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests used to estimate prevalence. A total of 649 does over 1 year of age and not pregnant at the time of sampling were included in the study. Serum samples were collected from 608 does representing 89 farms. Milk samples were collected from 387 does representing 85 farms. Both milk and serum samples were collected from 356 does representing 80 farms. The estimated individual seroprevalence and shedding prevalence in milk adjusted for clustering were 3.1% (n = 23/608, 95% CI: 1.2-7.0%) and 2.5% (n = 9/387, 9.5% CI: 1.0-5.6%) respectively. Estimated adjusted herd level C. burnetii seroprevalence and herd level shedding prevalence were 11.5% (n = 10/89, 95% CI: 6.4–20.1%) and 7.0% (n = 6/85, 95% CI: 3.3–14.6%) respectively. Based on a generalized estimating equation model (GEE), meat breeds of goat had 7.0 times increased odds of shedding C. burnetii DNA in milk samples as compared to dairy breeds. Agreement between tests as determined by Cohen's kappa was poor at both the individual (kappa = 0.04, 95% CI: -0.1–0.2) and herd (kappa = 0.2, 95% CI: -0.1-0.5) levels. This indicates that serologic screening alone is unlikely to prevent the introduction of does shedding C. burnetii into herds.
... 23 In the United States, researchers have reported that goats have the highest estimated species-specific prevalence of antibodies against C burnetii, at up to 42%. 24 The overall seroprevalence of antibodies against this pathogen in goats of the present study, 70 of 567 (12%), was similar to results from a study 25 conducted by the Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory in 2010 and 2011, in which 1,794 serum specimens from goats in Washington submitted for routine serologic screening were tested for the presence of anti-C burnetii antibodies. In that study, 144 (8%) samples had positive test results. ...
Objective:
To describe the epizootiological investigation of an outbreak of Q fever (Coxiella burnetii infection).
Design:
Epidemiological study.
Animals:
17 goat herds in Washington, Montana, and Oregon.
Procedures:
In April 2011, an abortion storm at a commercial goat farm in Washington was determined to be caused by C burnetii. A joint epidemiological investigation by public health and veterinary professionals was subsequently performed to assess the extent of the outbreak by performing a trace-forward of goats sold from the index farm, to determine risk factors associated with infection, and to implement control measures. A herd management plan was developed to control the outbreak and reduce risk of human exposure. Quarantine and temporary holds preventing the sale or movement of goats allowed time for trace-forward investigation, education of farmers regarding disease risk, and testing to determine the scope of the outbreak.
Results:
17 farms were affected; 21 human Q fever cases were identified. Bacterial shedding in feces, vaginal fluid, or milk was confirmed in 156 of 629 (25%) goats tested by PCR assay. Seroprevalence of antibodies against C burnetii in goats, determined by ELISA, was 12%. The risk for C burnetii infection in goats was highest among females, those on farms associated with human Q fever, and those on Washington farms. A protective effect was observed for goats at farms where the primary form of goat carcass disposal was burial.
Conclusions and clinical relevance:
This outbreak illustrated the importance of a joint investigation for zoonotic pathogens and the need to expand and strengthen relationships between medical, public health, and veterinary partners. Heightened awareness and enhanced veterinary diagnostic capabilities for C burnetii are needed to identify and control outbreaks expediently.
... Studies in sheep in Wyoming revealed a 7% seroprevalence of C. burnetii [10]. Recent Studies in California [9,11] and Washington [12] suggested that C. burnetii was endemic in US meat and milk goats, although its prevalence may be underestimated and the overall distribution of the disease in the US remains unknown [9,11,12]. No studies have evaluated the prevalence and risk factors of C. burnetii infections in meat goats farmed in Missouri. ...
... Studies in sheep in Wyoming revealed a 7% seroprevalence of C. burnetii [10]. Recent Studies in California [9,11] and Washington [12] suggested that C. burnetii was endemic in US meat and milk goats, although its prevalence may be underestimated and the overall distribution of the disease in the US remains unknown [9,11,12]. No studies have evaluated the prevalence and risk factors of C. burnetii infections in meat goats farmed in Missouri. ...
... 24%) [11]. Similarly, the apparent prevalence estimates in this study were lower than the 8% (144/1794) animal-level; 8.6% (9/105) herd-level; and 2.9% to 75.8% within-herd level estimates for C. burnetii seroprevalence reported in a recent study of domestic goats in Washington [12]. ...
Background
Goats are known reservoirs of Coxiella burnetii, the etiologic agent of Q fever. However, there has been very little research on the prevalence of C. burnetii exposure and risk in meat goats farmed in the US. Banked serum samples were secondarily tested for C. burnetii specific antibodies.
Findings
The animal and herd-level seroprevalence estimates for C. burnetii were 1.2% (3/249) and 4.2% (1/24) respectively. Within-herd seroprevalence ranged from 0% to 1.2%.
Conclusions
This study indicates that seroprevalence of C. burnetii in Boer goats raised in Missouri was low, but it does not preclude the existence of a higher level of infection in Missouri’s meat goat herds. This result is inconclusive because this study was disadvantaged by the small number of individual animal and herds tested, which compromised the statistical power of this study to detect a possible higher seroprevalence of C. burnetii in this population, if present. More research is warranted to corroborate the preliminary findings reported here in order to determine the public health significance C. burnetii infection risks associated with contemporary goat production systems in the US.
Background
Coxiellosis is a neglected zoonosis for occupationally exposed people in many parts of the world. Sheep and goats are two important small ruminants that act as reservoirs for human contamination; however, there is a lack of comprehensive data on the epidemiological aspects of coxiellosis in sheep and goats at regional and global levels. The aim of this study was to systematically review the available articles on seroprevalence of coxiellosis in sheep and goats and estimate the overall seroprevalence in different regions.
Methods
A systematic search strategy was performed in five electronic repositories for articles published until December 2021. Relevant data were extracted from the selected articles based on the inclusion criteria. A random effect meta‐analysis model was used to analyse the data. Results are presented as the prevalence of seropositivity as a percentage and 95% confidence intervals.
Results
The global pooled seroprevalence of coxiellosis in sheep was 17.38% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 15.59%–19.17%). Overall, the regional level pooled prevalence estimates in sheep ranged from 15.04% (95% CI: 7.68%–22.40%) to 19.14% (95% CI: 15.51%–22.77%), depending on region. The global pooled seroprevalence of coxiellosis in goats was 22.60% (95% CI: 19.54%–25.66%). Overall, the regional level pooled prevalence estimates in goats ranged from 6.33% (95% CI: 2.96%–9.71%) to 55.13% (95% CI: 49.61%–60.65%), depending on the region. The prevalence estimates also varied significantly in both sheep and goats depending on age, sex, and rearing systems of the animals (p < 0.001).
Conclusion
Seroprevalence of coxiellosis in both sheep and goats is considerable. Routine monitoring of the sheep and goat populations is needed to prevent spillover infection in other livestock and humans.
The gram-negative bacterium Coxiella burnetii is the causative agent of Query (Q) fever in humans and coxiellosis in livestock. Association between host genetic background and Coxiella burnetii pathogenesis has been demonstrated both in humans and animals; however, specific genes associated with severity of infection remain unknown. We employed the Drosophila Genetics Reference Panel to perform a genome-wide association study and identify host genetic variants that affect Coxiella burnetii infection outcome. The analysis resulted in 64 genome-wide suggestive (P < 10 ⁻⁵ ) single nucleotide polymorphisms or gene variants in 25 unique genes. We examined the role of each gene in Coxiella burnetii infection using flies carrying a null mutation or RNAi knockdown of each gene and monitoring survival. Of the 25 candidate genes, 15 validated using at least one method. For many, this is the first report establishing involvement of these genes or their homologs with Coxiella burnetii susceptibility in any system. Among the validated genes, FER and tara play roles in the JAK-STAT, JNK, and decapentaplegic/TGF-β signaling pathways that are associated with the innate immune response to Coxiella burnetii infection. Two other two validated genes, CG42673 and DIP-ε , play roles in bacterial infection and synaptic signaling but no previous association with Coxiella burnetii pathogenesis. Furthermore, since the mammalian ortholog of CG13404 ( PLGRKT ) is an important regulator of macrophage function, CG13404 could play a role in Coxiella burnetii susceptibility through hemocyte regulation. These insights provide a foundation for further investigation of genetics of Coxiella burnetii susceptibility across a wide variety of hosts.
