Coxiella burnetii Genotypes in Iberian Wildlife

Abstract

To investigate if Coxiella burnetii, the causative agent of Q fever, genotypes circulating in wildlife are associated with those infecting livestock and humans, multiple-locus variable number tandem-repeat analysis (MLVA-6-marker) was carried out over C. burnetii obtained from red deer (Cervus elaphus), Eurasian wild boar (Sus scrofa), European wild rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), black rat (Rattus rattus), and wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus). MLVA typing was performed by using six variable loci in C. burnetii: Ms23, Ms24, Ms27, Ms28, Ms33, and Ms34. The C. burnetii cooperative database from MLVABank 5.0 was employed to compare genotypes found in this study with 344 isolates of diverse origin. Twenty-two genotypes from wildlife and two genotypes from domestic goats were identified. Some MLVA genotypes identified in wildlife or in farmed game clustered with genotypes of human Q fever clinical cases, supporting the idea that humans and wildlife share C. burnetii genotypes. The major part of genotypes identified in coexisting red deer and rabbits clustered according to their host of origin, suggesting host specificity for particular C. burnetii genotypes. These findings provide important insights to understand the epidemiology of C. burnetii at the wildlife-livestock-human interface.

Coxiella burnetiiin wild mammals: A systematic review

“…The global diversity of C. burnetii genotypes could be at least as high as its host range. However, information on the genetic diversity of C. burnetii is scarce in wild species, while these may maintain new genotypes with new virulence factors (González‐Barrio, Hagen et al., ; González‐Barrio, García et al., ). The focus to solve this gap in the future requires from the collaboration of international research teams working together on depicting the diversity of this relevant and plastic pathogen and analysing to what level this diversity encompasses the high host plasticity of C. burnetii .…”

“…Transmission at the interface between wildlife and livestock is still poorly known but well‐designed molecular epidemiology studies could start solving this gap. Currently, only evidences of ‘wildlife’ genotypes infecting livestock suggest that transmission occurs at the interface (González‐Barrio Hagen et al., ; González‐Barrio, García et al., ).…”

“…Also, feeding behavioural patterns could modulate exposure to C. burnetii; e.g. genotypes from Iberian Aegyptian mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon) and rabbits, its main prey in Iberia (Delibes, Aymerich, & Cuesta, 1984), were similar (Cumbassá et al, 2015; González-Barrio, Hagen, Tilburg, & Ruiz-Fons, 2016), indicating that C. burnetii may exploit host predator-prey relationships.…”

“…'wildlife' genotypes infecting livestock suggest that transmission occurs at the interface(González-Barrio Hagen et al, 2016;González-Barrio, García et al, 2016).…”

Estimating the Efficacy of a Commercial Phase I Inactivated Vaccine in Decreasing the Prevalence of Coxiella burnetii Infection and Shedding in Red Deer (Cervus elaphus)

“…A recent large-scale study proved that the red deer ( Cervus elaphus ) is an important wild reservoir of C. burnetii in Iberia ( 15 ); 50% of Iberian red deer populations are infected with C. burnetii , with an average individual antibody prevalence of 12.2%, which is similar to values reported in domestic ruminant herds ( 16 ). Furthermore, red deer females shed C. burnetii after infection ( 9 ), and specific red deer genotypes infect humans ( 17 ). The current increasing demographic trends of red deer populations in Europe ( 14 ) would, therefore, ease C. burnetii transmission at the red deer–livestock–human interface.…”