Coxiella burnetii shedding and serological status in pregnant and postpartum ewes

Trujillo, Mayra; Conan, Anne; Calchi, Ana Cláudia; Mertens-Scholtz, Katja; Becker, Anne AMJ; Gallagher, Christa; Mau, Alex; Marchi, Silvia; Machado, Marcus; André, Marcos Rogério; Chapwanya, Aspinas; Müller, Ananda

doi:10.1016/j.actatropica.2023.106962

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…The authors of that study concluded that the risk of coxiellosis in livestock farms is related to contact with farm environment rather than any specific animal exposure [16]. In contrast, a literature review from the USA suggests that C. burnetii is enzootic in domestic ruminants and wild animals with widespread human exposure [17]. In eastern Asturias, in the north of Spain, sheep play the most relevant role in the transmission of C. burnetii to humans, but in the west of this autonomous community, cattle are the most important transmitter [18].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence, Risk Factors, and Relationship between Reproductive Performance and the Presence of Antibodies against Coxiellosis in Dairy Farm Milk Tanks in the Northwest of Spain

Yáñez,

Álvarez,

Pisón

et al. 2024

Animals

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Q fever is a zoonotic disease that has been associated with reproductive problems in animals. As there is little epidemiological data regarding the distribution and risk factors of this disorder in cattle, the objective of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of Coxiella burnetii among dairy herds in the northwest of Spain, and to determine the on-farm risk factors associated with the disease and its effects on reproductive performance. Bulk tank milk (BTM) samples were collected from 262 commercial dairy herds from A Coruña, Lugo, and Pontevedra provinces. Data about location, mean age, and herd management features were obtained. A commercial indirect ELISA kit was used to determine the presence of antibodies against C. burnetii in BTM samples. The relationship between seropositivity to C. burnetii and the risk factors was checked using a Pearson’s χ2 test and a classification tree analysis. In addition, a one-way ANOVA test and the Mann–Whitney U test were used to check the impact of seropositivity to C. burnetii on reproductive performance. A total of 60.1% of the farms tested positive for coxiellosis, the herd size, the external purchase of livestock, and the geographical area were identified as the main risk factors. Conception rate and first-service conception rate were significantly lower (p < 0.05) in positive farms (37.1 and 32.9%) compared to negative farms (39.8 and 36.1%). Similarly, positive farms had significant higher incidence of endometritis (13.7% vs. 11.2%, p < 0.05). Consequently, a high seropositivity and slightly negative effects of coxiellosis on reproductive performance were observed, which intensifies the need for further research, including the identification an active infection in positive herds and the characterization of the genotype.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%