Coxiella burnetii and Chlamydia spp. coinfection in small ruminant abortion in Portugal

Santos, Sara; Azenha, Diana; Oliveira, Cátia; Almeida, Anabela

doi:10.1016/j.smallrumres.2022.106616

Cited by 6 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…This study evidences that co-infections in clinical cases of abortion are relatively frequent in small ruminants, as it has been demonstrated in recent studies ( 21 , 38 ). However, based on the semiquantitative results provided by Cq values, we observed that in most cases a single microorganism was detected in a sufficiently high concentration to be considered as potential causative agent of the abortion by itself, unlike in digestive or respiratory processes, in which more than one pathogen are frequently involved ( 39 – 41 ).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Infectious abortions in small domestic ruminants in the Iberian Peninsula: Optimization of sampling procedures for molecular diagnostics

Alzuguren¹,

Domínguez²,

Chacón³

et al. 2023

Front. Vet. Sci.

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IntroductionInfectious abortions have a major impact on small domestic ruminant farms, i.e., sheep and goats, both in terms of profitability and health status. Therefore, rapid and sensitive diagnosis is essential to minimize losses. Currently, molecular techniques, such as qPCR, are routinely used for their diagnosis, which imply the need to manipulate all abortive material, with consequent biosafety risks. Here, we evaluate the frequency of the main abortifacient pathogens in small domestic ruminants in the Iberian Peninsula and also assess an alternative approach for the optimization of sampling for molecular diagnosis.ResultsA total of 392 clinical cases were analyzed from April 2020 to May 2021, evidencing that the main causative agents of abortion detected were Coxiella burnetii (49.0%), Chlamydia abortus (38.3%) and, to a lesser extent, Toxoplasma gondii (10.2%), Salmonella enterica (7.1%) and Campylobacter spp. (6.1%). An uneven distribution of these pathogens was observed between ruminant species, with a higher frequency (p < 0.05) of T. gondii, S. enterica and Campylobacter spp. in sheep than goat abortions, and among geographic areas, highlighting the higher frequency (p < 0.05) of T. gondii and Campylobacter spp. in the north compared to southeastern Spain. The alternative sampling method, consisting on the use of fetal tongues and placental swabs in replacement of the whole fetus and placental tissue, offered a very good agreement with the classical method for all pathogens, except for low concentrations of C. burnetii, which seems to have a doubtful role in abortion when its concentration in the abortifacient material is low.ConclusionsThis study reveals a high frequency of infectious etiology in abortions of small domestic ruminants in the Iberian Peninsula and validates for the first time an alternative sampling method for molecular diagnosis that will help to provide rapid and accurate results while minimizing biosafety risks.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Infectious abortions in small domestic ruminants in the Iberian Peninsula: Optimization of sampling procedures for molecular diagnostics

Alzuguren¹,

Domínguez²,

Chacón³

et al. 2023

Front. Vet. Sci.

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“…This is in line with a study conducted in Spain and Portugal on 1600 small ruminant abortions: C. burnetii and C. abortus are the most common abortifacient agents, with approximately 75% of abortion cases testing positive for both pathogens, followed by Toxoplasma gondii, Campylobacter sp., Salmonella enterica, Border Disease virus, and Neospora caninum [35]. In addition, another Portuguese study described a relevant presence of co-infection of C. abortus and C. burnetii in small flocks of ruminants [10]. This association seems to be the same in large ruminants: a study conducted in Bosnia and Herzegovina in cattle dairy farms found a high correlation (gamma = 0.73, herd level) between C. abortus and C. burnetii co-infections.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…This resistance, as for C. burnetii, seems to increase the possibility of coming into contact with many animal species, farmed or wild, and with humans [1,3]. Referring to the literature data on PCR-based methods, co-infections in clinical cases of abortion are relatively frequent in small ruminants [8][9][10]. Taking the results published in an authors' previous study on the seroprevalence of Q fever [11] structured on a well-defined study design to accurately estimate the prevalence of the infection [12] as a starting point and considering the direct evidence of co-infections based on biomolecular methods [8][9][10], in this study, we propose a retrospective seroprevalence study on sheep and goat serum samples.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seroprevalence and Risk Factors Associated with Chlamydia abortus Infection in Sheep and Goats in North-Western Italy

Nogarol,

Marchino,

Scala

et al. 2024

Animals

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Chlamydia abortus, although poorly recognized as a human pathogen, is a zoonotic microorganism that can cause many different symptoms in humans, including subclinical infection and fatal illnesses in pregnant women. C. abortus is one of the most common causes of ovine and caprine infectious abortion worldwide, known as the causative agent of the enzootic abortion of ewes (EAE) or ovine enzootic abortion (OEA). To estimate C. abortus seroprevalence and the risk factors related to C. abortus in small ruminants, the sera from 3045 animals (both sheep and goat) belonging to 202 herds were tested and a questionnaire investigating flock management was administered. At the herd level, the true seroprevalence was 56.6% (CI95%: 46.9–66.3%), at sheep-farm and goat-farm level, the true seroprevalence was 71.4% (CI95%: 54.6–88.3%) and 44.8% (CI95%: 41.3–57.0%), respectively. The true seroprevalence was significantly higher among the sheep than the goats. The logistic regression model identified four factors associated with Chlamydia seropositivity: flock size (i.e., farms with >50 heads), contact with cattle, introduction of animals, and Coxiella seropositivity. The study evidenced a high seroprevalence of Chlamydia abortus in small ruminant farms in the Piedmont region. Considering its zoonotic potential and the health consequences in humans, communication to farmers on the importance of vaccination, as well as the sensibilization of farm vets, seem to be strategical.

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“…C. burnetii plus C. abortus was the most common mixed infection, with both being the only pathogens reported in approximately one third of the cases testing positive for C. burnetii . Both bacteria have been reported to impact significantly upon Portuguese sheep and goat farms, where a significant proportion of abortion cases tested positive for C. abortus (34.2%), C. burnetii (15.1%) and co-infections between both pathogens (16.4%) [ 61 ]. In Italy, 11.3% of fetuses and 11.8% samples of ovine placenta yielded positive PCR results for two or more infectious agents [ 62 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Coxiella burnetii and Co-Infections with Other Major Pathogens Causing Abortion in Small Ruminant Flocks in the Iberian Peninsula

Ramo

Benito

Quílez

et al. 2022

Animals

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Coxiella burnetii is an intracellular bacterium causing human Q fever and reproductive disorders in domestic ruminants. We analyzed the occurrence of C. burnetii and co-infections with six other major pathogens causing abortion in sheep (1242 cases) and goat (371 cases) flocks from Spain and Portugal. After real-time PCR detection, co-infections were established by principal component and cluster analysis that grouped cases based on the joint presence/absence of several microorganisms. C. burnetii and Chlamydia abortus were the most common abortifacient agents with approximately 75% of cases from both hosts testing positive, followed by Toxoplasma gondii, Campylobacter sp., Salmonella enterica, border disease virus and Neospora caninum. C. burnetii was significantly more common than C. abortus in goat abortions (p < 0.001). Co-infections with at least two pathogens were found in more than 66% cases of ovine abortions and 36% cases of caprine abortions testing positive for C. burnetii, mostly including mixed infections with only C. abortus. These findings indicate that both pathogens are the most significant ones to be readily prevented by vaccination in this geographical area. Biosecurity and biocontainment measures are also steadfastly recommended to prevent both the economic losses and public health risks associated with most of these abortifacient agents.

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Coxiella burnetii and Chlamydia spp. coinfection in small ruminant abortion in Portugal

Cited by 6 publications

References 7 publications

Infectious abortions in small domestic ruminants in the Iberian Peninsula: Optimization of sampling procedures for molecular diagnostics

Infectious abortions in small domestic ruminants in the Iberian Peninsula: Optimization of sampling procedures for molecular diagnostics

Seroprevalence and Risk Factors Associated with Chlamydia abortus Infection in Sheep and Goats in North-Western Italy

Coxiella burnetii and Co-Infections with Other Major Pathogens Causing Abortion in Small Ruminant Flocks in the Iberian Peninsula

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