Abstract
Coxiella burnetii causes Q fever in humans and coxiellosis in animals. In humans, it causes acute febrile illnesses like influenza, pneumonia, hepatitis, and chronic illnesses such as endocarditis, vascular infection, and post-infectious fatigue syndrome. It is widely distributed worldwide, and its main reservoirs are sheep, goats, and cattle. This study aimed to determine the frequency of C. burnetii infection using molecular detection and to identify the associated factors in livestock farmers and cattle from the Magdalena Medio region of Antioquia, Colombia. Using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), molecular detection was performed for the IS1111 insertion sequence of C. burnetii using genomic DNA collected from the peripheral blood of 143 livestock farmers and 192 cattle from 24 farms located in Puerto Berrío, Puerto Nare, and Puerto Triunfo. To confirm the results, bidirectional amplicon sequencing of 16S rRNA was performed in four of the positive samples. Additionally, factors associated with C. burnetii were identified using a Poisson regression with cluster effect adjustment. Real-time PCR showed positive results in 25.9% and 19.5% of livestock farmer samples and cattle samples, respectively. For livestock farmers, factors associated with C. burnetii were the area where the farm was located [Puerto Berrío, adjusted prevalence ratio (aPR): 2.13, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.10–4.11], presence of hens (aPR: 1.47, 95% CI: 1.21–1.79), horses (aPR: 1.61, 95% CI: 1.54–1.67), and ticks (aPR: 2.36, 95% CI: 1.03–5.42) in the residence, and consumption of raw milk (aPR: 1.47, 95% CI: 1.26–1.72). For cattle, the factors associated with Coxiella genus were municipality (Puerto Nare; aPR: 0.39, 95% CI: 0.37–0.41) and time of residence on the farm (≥49 months; aPR: 2.28, 95% CI: 1.03–5.20). By analyzing sequences of the 16S rRNA molecular marker, C. burnetii infection was confirmed in livestock farmers. However, in cattle, only the presence of Coxiella-type bacteria was identified. Further research is necessary to determine the potential role that these types of bacteria have as etiological agents for disease in livestock farmers and cattle from the study area.
Highlights
Coxiella burnetii is a zoonotic bacterium distributed worldwide that causes a disease known as Q fever in humans and coxiellosis in animals [1,2]
The molecular detection results revealed the presence of C. burnetii in livestock farmers (25.9%) and a bacterium associated with the Coxiella genus in cattle (19.5%) in the Magdalena Medio region of Antioquia, Colombia
In the samples collected from two of the livestock farmers, C. burnetii infection was confirmed through an analysis of the partial sequences of the 16S rRNA marker, whereas in the samples collected from two of the cattle, a bacterium related to the Coxiella genus was detected whose taxonomic classification is yet to be clarified
Summary
Coxiella burnetii is a zoonotic bacterium distributed worldwide (except in New Zealand) that causes a disease known as Q fever in humans and coxiellosis in animals [1,2]. Domestic ruminants (i.e., sheep, goats and cattle) are considered to be the main source of infection and are usually associated with outbreaks of infection in humans [3,4]. C. burnetii has been associated with Q fever outbreaks ever since it was first described as the causative agent of fever in slaughterhouse employees in Australia [2]. Between 2007 and 2010, the largest Q fever outbreak reported to date involved more than 4,000 cases among animals and humans in the Netherlands [7]. It is important to actively search for C. burnetii in livestock as a preventive measure
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