Molecular detection of Coxiella burnetii and Borrelia burgdorferi in ticks infesting goats in North-Eastern states of India

Abstract

ABSTRACT Coxiella burnetii and Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato are intracellular bacteria of great zoonotic importance. To detect these two pathogensin ticks as well as in blood samples, a nested PCR and conventional PCR was used. A total of 525 ticks were collected randomly from infected goats. Blood samples were also collected from tick-infested goats. Both samples were assessed for the presence of these organisms using Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays targeting a fragment of 16S rRNA, superoxide dismutase (SOD) of C. burnetii and ospA gene of B. burgdorferi s.l. Sequence analysis of the amplified fragment was used to confirm PCR findings. The PCR products were purified, cloned and custom sequenced. A few blood samples were found positive for both C. burnetii and B. Burgdorferi sensu lato. A total of 12 isolates of the 16S rRNA gene fragment and one isolate of the SOD gene fragment of C. burnetii were obtained. The sequences were aligned and a phylogenetic tree was made with other published C. burnetii sequences. Our finding indicated that ticks were infesting goats as well as blood samples harbour C. burnetii and B. burgdorferi sensu lato providing possible zoonotic transmission of these bacteria from animals to humans through ticks.