Analysis of seroprevalence against &lt;i&gt;Coxiella burnetii&lt;/i&gt; in a sample of farm workers in Western Sicily

Verso, Maria Gabriella; Vesco, G.; Villari, S.; Galluzzo, Paola; Gargano, Virginia; Matranga, Domenica; Marchis, Paola De; Picciotto, Diego

doi:10.5604/12321966.1196855

Cited by 13 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 17 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The remaining 7 papers were eventually included in qualitative and quantitative analysis (2.2% of the initial sample). The retrieved studies (range: 2006-2022) [13,14,18,25,26,36,37] included a total of 16 estimates from occupational settings and 3 reference groups. Of the aforementioned studies, 3 were based on immunofluorescence assay (IFA), 3 on enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA), and one complement fixation test (CFT).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seroprevalence of Coxiella burnetii in Occupational Settings: A Meta-Analysis of Italian Studies

et al. 2023

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Coxiella burnetii (C. burnetii) can cause a serious human disease known as Q Fever (QF). Our study summarized seroprevalence data from occupational settings in Italy, a country characterized by low notification rates of QF (17 cases between 2015 and 2021). Through systematic research on 3 databases (PubMed, EMBASE, MedRxiv), all studies including seroprevalence rates of C. burnetii in Italy were retrieved, and their results summarized and compared. We identified a total of 7 articles for a total of 1178 workers, mostly from agricultural settings. A pooled seroprevalence of 44.0% (95% Confidence Interval [95%CI] 27.6 to 61.8) was calculated. Subgroup estimates ranged from 2.8% (95%CI 0.9–6.3) in forestry rangers to 49.2% (95%CI 26.8–72.0) in livestock farmers, and peaked at 73.7% (95%CI 56.9–86.6) and 75.9% (95%CI 13.4–98.5) in abattoir workers and veterinary professionals, respectively. Seroprevalence rates for C. burnetii largely exceeded the official notification rates, suggesting its substantial underreporting in Italy.

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seroprevalence of Coxiella burnetii in Occupational Settings: A Meta-Analysis of Italian Studies

et al. 2023

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Alternative sources, such as contaminated manure, wildlife reservoirs and sheep flocks that migrate over longer distances and have been shown to carry C. burnetii in clinically inconspicuous animals, may have contributed to human infections in the German border region, but these phenomena would not explain the geographical distribution observed (Hermans, Jeurissen, Hackert, & Hoebe, ; Hilbert et al, ; Webster, Lloyd, & Macdonald, ). While reports of Q fever in livestock in the German border region during the study period may implicate cattle as potential sources, a recent study found that human contact with sheep and goats, rather than cattle, was a consistent risk factor in human outbreaks (Georgiev et al, ; Verso et al, ). Goat and sheep densities in the German cross‐border area, however, were rather low (see Table ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…This phenomenon is mirrored by a growing number of studies where seroprevalence rates in the population exceed reported cases of symptomatic Q fever. One such study from Denmark showed a rate of 64% of asymptomatic primary infections, while a study from Italy reported 30 seropositive individuals with no related episodes of respiratory or febrile disease (Bacci et al, 2012;Verso et al, 2016). A recent study from Spain found fever-usually considered the hallmark of symptomatic infection-to be absent in almost a third of 39 Q fever positive cases, even though all cases without fever had pneumonia.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Q fever: Evidence of a massive yet undetected cross‐border outbreak, with ongoing risk of extra mortality, in a Dutch–German border region

Hackert

Hoebe

Dukers-Muijrers

et al. 2020

Transbound Emerg Dis

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Following outbreaks in other parts of the Netherlands, the Dutch border region of South Limburg experienced a large‐scale outbreak of human Q fever related to a single dairy goat farm in 2009, with surprisingly few cases reported from neighbouring German counties. Late chronic Q fever, with recent spikes of newly detected cases, is an ongoing public health concern in the Netherlands. We aimed to assess the scope and scale of any undetected cross‐border transmission to neighbouring German counties, where individuals unknowingly exposed may carry extra risk of overlooked diagnosis. Methods (A) Seroprevalence rates in the Dutch area were estimated fitting an exponential gradient to the geographical distribution of notified acute human Q fever cases, using seroprevalence in a sample of farm township inhabitants as baseline. (B) Seroprevalence rates in 122 neighbouring German postcode areas were estimated from a sample of blood donors living in these areas and attending the regional blood donation centre in January/February 2010 ( n = 3,460). (C) Using multivariate linear regression, including goat and sheep densities, veterinary Q fever notifications and blood donor sampling densities as covariates, we assessed whether seroprevalence rates across the entire border region were associated with distance from the farm. Results (A) Seroprevalence in the outbreak farm's township was 16.1%. Overall seroprevalence in the Dutch area was 3.6%. (B) Overall seroprevalence in the German area was 0.9%. Estimated mean seroprevalence rates (per 100,000 population) declined with increasing distance from the outbreak farm (0–19 km = 2,302, 20–39 km = 1,122, 40–59 km = 432 and ≥60 km = 0). Decline was linear in multivariate regression using log‐transformed seroprevalence rates (0–19 km = 2.9 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 2.6 to 3.2], 20 to 39 km = 1.9 [95% CI = 1.0 to 2.8], 40–59 km = 0.6 [95% CI = −0.2 to 1.3] and ≥60 km = 0.0 [95% CI = −0.3 to 0.3]). Conclusions Our findings were suggestive of widespread cross‐border transmission, with thousands of undetected infections, arguing for intensified cross‐border collaboration and surveillance and screening of individuals susceptible to chronic Q fever in the affected area.

show abstract

“…The detection of this pathogen DNA in three of the screened camels indicates the circulation of an abortion-causing pathogen that may have also implications on human health, being a zoonotic agent responsible for Q fever [51,52]. Several serological studies on Coxiella burnetii have been carried out in camels in several countries, reporting a seroprevalence of 40.7% in Egypt [53], 28.7% in Iran [54], 46% in Kenya [55], and 73% in Chad [56].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Molecular Investigation on Tick-Borne Hemoparasites and Coxiella burnetii in Dromedary Camels (Camelusdromedarius) in Al Dhafra Region of Abu Dhabi, UAE

Tigani-Asil

Blanda

Abdelwahab

et al. 2021

Animals

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Camels represent an important resource for inhabitants of the most arid regions of the world and their survival is mainly related to environment conditions including the risk of parasitic diseases, which may represent a significant cause of losses in livestock production of these areas. Camels may be parasitized by several hematophagous arthropods, which can be vectors of several diseases including zoonosis. This study aimed to investigate in dromedary camels and their ticks the importance of tick-borne hemoparasites that might be responsible for a recent and obscure morbidity of camels in Al Dhafra region of Abu Dhabi, UAE. Blood samples and ticks from 93 naturally infected camels belonging to 36 herds, affected by variable acute clinical syndromes lasting from 3 to 5 days, were analyzed through molecular techniques for specific DNA presence of different blood pathogens: Anaplasmamarginale/Anaplasmaovis, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Coxiella burnetii,Babesia spp., and Theileria spp. DNA. All the 72 ticks collected belonged to the Hyalomma dromedarii species and were negative for blood pathogens. n = 15 camels (16.1%) were found positive to the following tick-borne hemoparasites: A. phagocytophilum 11 (11.8%), Coxiella burnetii 3 (3.2%), and Babesia/Theileria spp. 2 (2.1%). One singular camel showed coinfection of C. burnetii and A. phagocytophiulm. Genetic profile of C. burnetii showed a high phylogenetic relatedness to European, Asian and African C. burnetii strains. This is the first laboratory investigation on tick-borne pathogens in camels in UAE, and the first report of A. phagocytophilum and C. burnetii. Moreover, since the detected pathogens are recognized pathogens for humans, this study highlights the zoonotic risk for humans working in camel husbandry.

show abstract

Analysis of seroprevalence against <i>Coxiella burnetii</i> in a sample of farm workers in Western Sicily

Abstract: The results obtained, although based on a small sample, suggest that the disease is present in the territory of Western Sicily, both in animals and in humans. A closer collaboration between doctors and veterinarians is therefore necessary to fight against the spread of the infection.

Cited by 13 publications

References 17 publications

Seroprevalence of Coxiella burnetii in Occupational Settings: A Meta-Analysis of Italian Studies

Seroprevalence of Coxiella burnetii in Occupational Settings: A Meta-Analysis of Italian Studies

Q fever: Evidence of a massive yet undetected cross‐border outbreak, with ongoing risk of extra mortality, in a Dutch–German border region

Molecular Investigation on Tick-Borne Hemoparasites and Coxiella burnetii in Dromedary Camels (Camelusdromedarius) in Al Dhafra Region of Abu Dhabi, UAE

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About