Abstract
Bovine abortion of unknown infectious etiology still remains a major economic problem. Thus, we investigated whether Brucella spp., Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella spp., Campylobacter spp. and Coxiella burnetii are associated with abortion and/or stillbirth in Tunisian dairy cattle. Using a pan-Chlamydiales PCR, we also investigated the role of Chlamydiaceae, Waddlia chondrophila, Parachlamydia acanthamoebae and other members of the Chlamydiales order in this setting. Veterinary samples taken from mid to late-term abortions from twenty dairy herds were tested. From a total of 150 abortion cases collected, infectious agents were detected by PCR in 73 (48.66%) cases, 13 (8.66%) of which represented co-infections with two infectious agents. Detected pathogens include Brucella spp (31.3%), Chlamydiaceae (4.66%), Waddlia chondrophila (8%), Parachlamydia acanthamoebae (5.33%), Listeria monocytogenes (4.66%) and Salmonella spp. (3.33%). In contrast, Campylobacter spp. and Coxiella burnetii DNA were not detected among the investigated veterinary samples. This demonstrates that different bacterial agents may cause bovine abortion in Tunisia. This is the first report suggesting the role of Parachlamydia acanthamoebae in bovine abortion in Africa. Further studies with a larger number of samples are necessary to confirm whether this emerging pathogen is directly linked to abortion in cattle.
Highlights
Abortion among dairy cows is one of the major causes of economic losses in the cattle industry
The major bacterial agents that have been implicated in bovine abortion during mid- to lategestation are Brucella spp., Chlamydia spp., Salmonella spp., Campylobacter spp., Listeria monocytogenes and Coxiella burnetii [3,4,5]
Chlamydiosis and Q fever should be considered among the most common zoonotic diseases and are distributed all around the world. They are respectively caused by Chlamydia and C. burnetii, two strictly intracellular Gram negative bacteria
Summary
Abortion among dairy cows is one of the major causes of economic losses in the cattle industry. Chlamydiosis and Q fever should be considered among the most common zoonotic diseases and are distributed all around the world They are respectively caused by Chlamydia and C. burnetii, two strictly intracellular Gram negative bacteria. Bacteriological isolation by culture on blood agar is usually used for the diagnosis of bovine brucellosis, but it is difficult, time consuming, hazardous, and sometimes inconclusive [20,21]. The reliability of standard diagnostic procedures for Campylobacter fetus, which are based on phenotypic methods, is difficult because of specific nutritional and atmospheric requirements [24] All these traditional culture and serology-based methods can be relatively insensitive depending on the quality and timing of sampling. The present study aimed (i) to investigate the role of some abortigenic agents in cattle from different geographical regions of Sfax in Tunisia (ii) to define the role of P. acanthomoebae as a new abortigenic agent in African cattle and (iii) to detect a possible coinfection of members of the Chlamydiales order with other abortigenic agents
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