Q Fever: Seroprevalence, Risk Factors in Slaughter Livestock and Genotypes of Coxiella burnetii in South Africa

Mangena, Maruping L.; Gcebe, Nomakorinte; Pierneef, Rian; Thompson, Peter N.; Adesiyun, Abiodun A.

doi:10.3390/pathogens10030258

Cited by 17 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…Most tissues tested in the study were from goats and sheep as compared to cattle and mainly due to abortion cases as compared to cattle which were stillbirth cases. This nding may suggest that C. burnetii infections may be responsible for abortion cases in small ruminants such as goats and sheep as compared to cattle as previously observed by (17) in the Free State province. Moreover, South Africa still has many undiagnosed abortion and stillbirth cases, caused possibly by C. burnetii infections.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 53%

Q fever and toxoplasmosis in South African livestock and wildlife: A retrospective study on seropositivity and sporadic abortion, and on stillbirth cases in livestock caused by Coxiella burnetii

Mangena

Gcebe

Thompson

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Background: Q fever and toxoplasmosis are economically important zoonoses as they cause considerable losses in livestock through reproductive disorders such as abortions and stillbirths. Q fever and toxoplasmosis testing in South Africa is conducted by the Agricultural Research Council-Onderstepoort Veterinary Research (ARC-OVR). However, both zoonoses are understudied and not monitored in South Africa as they are not considered controlled or notifiable diseases in the Animal Disease Act 35 of 1984. A retrospective study was conducted on Q fever (2007-2009) and toxoplasmosis (2007-2017) using diagnostic laboratory data at the ARC-OVR. Also, we report on sporadic abortion and stillbirth cases in livestock from diagnostic tissue samples submitted for Coxiella burnetii polymerase chain reaction (PCR) detection at the ARC-OVR. Results: During 2007 to 2009, 766 animal samples were tested for C. burnetii antibodies and seropositivity was 0.9% (95%CI: 0.3-1.7) with sheep (1.9%; 95%CI: 0.6-4.4) having the highest seropositivity followed by cattle (0.7%; 95%CI: 0.09-2.6), while all goats (0.0%; 95%CI: 0.0-4.2) and wildlife (antelopes, giraffes, lions, and cheetahs) (0.0%; 95%CI: 0.0-2.5) tested were negative. From 2007 to 2017, 567 sera were tested for T. gondii antibodies; overall seropositivity was 12.2% (95%CI: 9.6-15). Wildlife (antelopes, giraffes, lions, and cheetahs) had highest seropositivity to T. gondii antibodies (13.9%; 95%CI: 9.0-19.7) followed by goats (12.9%; 95%CI: 9.2-17.4) and sheep (12.3%; 95%CI: 5.1-23.8) while seropositivity in cattle was 2.4% (95%CI: 0.06-12.9). Of 11 animals tested by C. burnetii PCR detection (2021-2022), 10 (91.0 %) tested positive by IS1111 PCR. The study confirmed the first presence of C. burnetii and T. gondii in various provinces of South Africa, which can pave pave way for future epidemiological studies Conclusions: More studies on Q fever and toxoplasmosis are needed in different provinces of South Africa to be able to implement effective control measures for the two zoonoses. It is recommended that improvements in data collection on the samples tested should include associated factors such as sex, age, and breed of the animals.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 53%

Q fever and toxoplasmosis in South African livestock and wildlife: A retrospective study on seropositivity and sporadic abortion, and on stillbirth cases in livestock caused by Coxiella burnetii

Mangena

Gcebe

Thompson

et al. 2022

Preprint

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“…Ruminants, such as cattle, sheep and goats, remain the primary animal reservoir for the bacterium, 3, 6–8 experiencing largely subclinical infections with occasional reproductive impairment, 9, 10 including abortion, dystocia, reduced fertility and neonatal deaths 7, 9 . Indeed, contact with aborted ruminant reproductive materials and the normal products of parturition are considered high risk exposures for Q fever in humans 6, 8, 11–16 …”

Section: Figurementioning

confidence: 99%

“…7,9 Indeed, contact with aborted ruminant reproductive materials and the normal products of parturition are considered high risk exposures for Q fever in humans. 6,8,[11][12][13][14][15][16] The stable nature of the bacterium in the environment means it can remain viable in soil for more than 4 months and persist as an aerosol for a fortnight. 10,[17][18][19] Cases of Q fever have been recorded in humans with no direct exposure to ruminants and are thought to have originated through aerosol or environmental contamination.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Seroprevalence of Coxiella burnetii in pig‐hunting dogs from north Queensland, Australia

et al. 2022

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The causative agent of Q fever, Coxiella burnetii, is endemic to Queensland and is one of the most important notifiable zoonotic diseases in Australia. The reservoir species for C. burnetii are classically ruminants, including sheep, cattle and goats. There is increasing evidence of C. burnetii exposure in dogs across eastern and central Australia. The present study aimed to determine if pig-hunting dogs above the Tropic of Capricorn in Queensland had similar rates of C. burnetii exposure to previous serosurveys of companion dogs in rural north-west New South Wales. A total of 104 pig-hunting dogs had serum IgG antibody titres to phase I and phase 2 C. burnetii determined using an indirect immunofluorescence assay test. Almost one in five dogs (18.3%; 19/104; 95% confidence interval 9.6%-35.5%) were seropositive to C. burnetii, with neutered dogs more likely to test positive compared to entire dogs (P = 0.0497). Seropositivity of the sampled pighunting dogs was one of the highest recorded in Australia. Thirty-nine owners of the pig-hunting dogs completed a survey, revealing 12.8% (5/39) had been vaccinated against Q fever and 90% (35/39) were aware that both feral pigs and dogs could potentially be sources of C. burnetii. Our findings indicate that pig hunters should be aware of the risk of exposure to Q fever during hunts and the sentinel role their dogs may play in C. burnetii exposure.

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“…Due to the risk of Q-fever exposure from live animal imaging of lambs [38], ex vivo of formalin fixed spines were imaged using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), with well-established methods [39]. The data were acquired on a 7T/30 USR MRI scanner (Bruker BioSpin, Ettlingen, Germany) with a water-cooled shielded gradient coil system (Model BGA 12, 11 cm i.d.)…”

Section: Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Allografts for Skin Closure during In Utero Spina Bifida Repair in a Sheep Model

Mann

Won

Patel

et al. 2021

JCM

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Objectives: Use of off-label tissue graft materials, such as acellular dermal matrix (ADM), for in utero repair of severe spina bifida (SB), where primary skin layer closure is not possible, is associated with poor neurological outcomes. The cryopreserved human umbilical cord (HUC) patch has regenerative, anti-inflammatory, and anti-scarring properties, and provides watertight SB repair. We tested the hypothesis that the HUC is a superior skin patch to ADM for reducing inflammation at the repair site and preserving spinal cord function. Methods: In timed-pregnant ewes with twins, on gestational day (GD) 75, spina bifida was created without a myelotomy (functional model). On GD 95, repair was performed using HUC vs. ADM patches (randomly assigned) by suturing them to the skin edges. Additionally, full thickness skin closure as a primary skin closure (PSC) served as a positive control. Delivery was performed on GD 140, followed by blinded to treatment neurological assessments of the lambs using the Texas Spinal Cord Injury Scale (TSCIS) for gait, proprioception, and nociception. Lambs without spina bifida were used as controls (CTL). Ex vivo magnetic resonance imaging of spines at the repair site were performed, followed by quantitative pathological assessments. Histological assessments (blinded) included Masson’s trichrome, and immunofluorescence for myeloperoxidase (MPO; neutrophils) and for reactive astrocytes (inflammation) by co-staining vimentin and GFAP. Results: The combined hind limbs’ TSCIS was significantly higher in the HUC group than in ADM and PSC groups, p = 0.007. Both ADM and PSC groups exhibited loss of proprioception and mild to moderate ataxia compared to controls. MRI showed increased pathological findings in the PSC group when compared to the HUC group, p = 0.045. Histologically, the meningeal layer was thickened (inflammation) by 2–3 fold in ADM and PSC groups when compared to HUC and CTL groups, p = 0.01. There was lower MPO positive cells in the HUC group than in the ADM group, p = 0.018. Posterior column astrocyte activation was increased in ADM and PSC lambs compared to HUC lambs, p = 0.03. Conclusion: The HUC as a skin patch for in utero spina bifida repair preserves spinal cord function by reducing underlying inflammation when compared to ADM.

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Q Fever: Seroprevalence, Risk Factors in Slaughter Livestock and Genotypes of Coxiella burnetii in South Africa

Cited by 17 publications

References 30 publications

Q fever and toxoplasmosis in South African livestock and wildlife: A retrospective study on seropositivity and sporadic abortion, and on stillbirth cases in livestock caused by Coxiella burnetii

Q fever and toxoplasmosis in South African livestock and wildlife: A retrospective study on seropositivity and sporadic abortion, and on stillbirth cases in livestock caused by Coxiella burnetii

Seroprevalence of Coxiella burnetii in pig‐hunting dogs from north Queensland, Australia

Allografts for Skin Closure during In Utero Spina Bifida Repair in a Sheep Model

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