Molecular analysis of Coxiella burnetii in Germany reveals evolution of unique clonal clusters

Frangoulidis, Dimitrios; Walter, Mathias C.; Antwerpen, Markus; Zimmermann, Pia; Janowetz, Britta; Alex, Michaela; Böttcher, Jens; Henning, Klaus; Hilbert, Angela; Ganter, Martin; Runge, Martin; Münsterkötter, Martin; Splettstoesser, Wolf D.; Hanczaruk, Matthias

doi:10.1016/j.ijmm.2014.06.011

Cited by 35 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…These genotypes differed dramatically, mainly in three markers (Ms23, Ms26, and Ms33), from those documented in animal and human samples in previous MLVA studies carried out in Europe (32,(40)(41)(42)(43)(44). The fact that within-individual genotype diversity was observed for three females suggests that coinfection may occur.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 63%

Circulation of Coxiella burnetii in a Naturally Infected Flock of Dairy Sheep: Shedding Dynamics, Environmental Contamination, and Genotype Diversity

Joulié

Laroucau

Bailly

et al. 2015

Appl Environ Microbiol

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Q fever is a worldwide zoonosis caused by Coxiella burnetii. Domestic ruminants are considered to be the main reservoir. Sheep, in particular, may frequently cause outbreaks in humans. Because within-flock circulation data are essential to implementing optimal management strategies, we performed a follow-up study of a naturally infected flock of dairy sheep. We aimed to (i) describe C. burnetii shedding dynamics by sampling vaginal mucus, feces, and milk, (ii) assess circulating strain diversity, and (iii) quantify barn environmental contamination. For 8 months, we sampled vaginal mucus and feces every 3 weeks from aborting and nonaborting ewes (n ‫؍‬ 11 and n ‫؍‬ 26, respectively); for lactating females, milk was obtained as well. We also sampled vaginal mucus from nine ewe lambs. Dust and air samples were collected every 3 and 6 weeks, respectively. All samples were screened using real-time PCR, and strongly positive samples were further analyzed using quantitative PCR. Vaginal and fecal samples with sufficient bacterial burdens were then genotyped by multiple-locus variable-number tandem-repeat analysis (MLVA) using 17 markers. C. burnetii burdens were higher in vaginal mucus and feces than in milk, and they peaked in the first 3 weeks postabortion or postpartum. Primiparous females and aborting females tended to shed C. burnetii longer and have higher bacterial burdens than nonaborting and multiparous females. Six genotype clusters were identified; they were independent of abortion status, and within-individual genotype diversity was observed. C. burnetii was also detected in air and dust samples. Further studies should determine whether the within-flock circulation dynamics observed here are generalizable.Q fever is a widespread zoonosis caused by Coxiella burnetii, a Gram-negative intracellular bacterium that has been reported in a broad range of host species. Livestock, especially small ruminants, are the main sources of human infections (1-3). In domestic ruminants, Q fever's major clinical manifestations are abortions and stillbirths, whose occurrence may translate into significant economic losses (1, 3). In humans, C. burnetii infections range from asymptomatic to severe. Acute forms of the disease may result in high fevers and severe pneumonia or hepatitis, and chronic forms are strongly debilitating and may be fatal when endocarditis develops in patients with underlying heart disease (4-6).Animals and humans become infected essentially through the inhalation of airborne particles contaminated with C. burnetii (3,7,8). Contaminated dust particles may remain infectious for long periods of time due to the capacity of the bacterium to differentiate into highly resistant spore-like forms (9, 10). Consequently, knowledge of C. burnetii's sources and shedding dynamics is essential to assessing the risks of disease transmission and pathogen persistence. On livestock farms, C. burnetii DNA has been found in various environmental matrices, such as dust (11-13) and aerosols (14-16). However, studies that examin...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 63%

Circulation of Coxiella burnetii in a Naturally Infected Flock of Dairy Sheep: Shedding Dynamics, Environmental Contamination, and Genotype Diversity

Joulié

Laroucau

Bailly

et al. 2015

Appl Environ Microbiol

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“…On the other hand, seven of the 15 genotypes found here had not been described before, although certainly these novel genotypes were only sporadically found, each representing 1.4-4.1% of the detections (13.5% in total). Other studies that carried out MLVA typing for the first time in a particular region, also reported the description of novel genotypes (Frangoulidis et al, 2014;Santos et al, 2012;Sulyok et al, 2014). In any case, more MLVA data are needed to obtain a more comprehensive image of the complete population structure of C. burnetii.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genetic diversity and variation over time of Coxiella burnetii genotypes in dairy cattle and the farm environment

Piñero

Barandika

García-Pérez

et al. 2015

Infection, Genetics and Evolution

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“…They proposed using two panels of markers to have a better discriminatory power (169). In the literature, there are 17 references for studies that have used this genotyping method, almost all from Europe and mainly among ruminants (66,73,(170)(171)(172)(173)(174)(175)(176)(177)(178)(179)(180)(181)(182)(183)(184). The clone causing the Netherlands outbreak was identified as CbNL01 using this method, and a very similar clone was detected in goats in Belgium (178).…”

Section: Comparative Genomics and Pangenomic Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

From Q Fever to Coxiella burnetii Infection: a Paradigm Change

et al. 2017

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Coxiella burnetii is the agent of Q fever, or "query fever," a zoonosis first described in Australia in 1937. Since this first description, knowledge about this pathogen and its associated infections has increased dramatically. We review here all the progress made over the last 20 years on this topic. C. burnetii is classically a strict intracellular, Gram-negative bacterium. However, a major step in the characterization of this pathogen was achieved by the establishment of its axenic culture. C. burnetii infects a wide range of animals, from arthropods to humans. The genetic determinants of virulence are now better known, thanks to the achievement of determining the genome sequences of several strains of this species and comparative genomic analyses. Q fever can be found worldwide, but the epidemiological features of this disease vary according to the geographic area considered, including situations where it is endemic or hyperendemic, and the occurrence of large epidemic outbreaks. In recent years, a major breakthrough in the understanding of the natural history of human infection with C. burnetii was the breaking of the old dichotomy between "acute" and "chronic" Q fever. The clinical presentation of C. burnetii infection depends on both the virulence of the infecting C. burnetii strain and specific risks factors in the infected patient. Moreover, no persistent infection can exist without a focus of infection. This paradigm change should allow better diagnosis and management of primary infection and long-term complications in patients with C. burnetii infection.

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Molecular analysis of Coxiella burnetii in Germany reveals evolution of unique clonal clusters

Cited by 35 publications

References 27 publications

Circulation of Coxiella burnetii in a Naturally Infected Flock of Dairy Sheep: Shedding Dynamics, Environmental Contamination, and Genotype Diversity

Circulation of Coxiella burnetii in a Naturally Infected Flock of Dairy Sheep: Shedding Dynamics, Environmental Contamination, and Genotype Diversity

Genetic diversity and variation over time of Coxiella burnetii genotypes in dairy cattle and the farm environment

From Q Fever to Coxiella burnetii Infection: a Paradigm Change

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