High incidence of Coxiella burnetii markers in a rural population in France

Abstract

Since Coxiella burnetii, the causative agent of Q fever, is often transmitted from goats and sheep to humans through aerosols, we examined the sera from 168 persons involved in goat breeding in the Centre region of France and 40 members of veterinary and medical staff from the same region for the presence of antibodies against C. burnetii. An immunofluorescence assay was used to detect the presence of antibodies of the IgG isotope against epitopes from phase II of C. burnetii, which are the first antibodies to appear in infected people, and from phase I, which reflect more chronic stages of the infection. Our serological survey showed that most of the tested sera were positive for C. burnetii markers, indicating at least an encounter with the bacterium. In the overall population of 208 subjects, 71% of the sera had antibodies against phase II epitopes (titres > or = 1:40). Among the goat farmers and their immediate families, 78% had antibodies against phase II and 33% against phase I (titres > or = 1:40). Considering only high titres (> or = 1:320), though, only 37% of the farmers had antibodies against phase II and 15% against phase I. Only 3 out of 12 veterinarians working in the field had high titres of antibodies against phase II and phase I, while none of 28 members of veterinary and medical laboratories had significant levels of antibodies. These results emphasize the need for closer surveillance of populations at risk for Q fever, to prevent the infection by C. burnetii from reaching chronic stages of the disease.

Seroprevalence and Risk Factors for Coxiella burnetii (Q Fever) Seropositivity in Dairy Goat Farmers' Households in The Netherlands, 2009–2010

“…The seroprevalence clearly exceeds the estimates of 2.4% found in the Dutch general population preceding the first epidemic season in 2006–2007 [11], the 24% in a rural area in the epicentre of the epidemic in September 2007 [12] and the 12.2% in blood donors living in the high-endemic regions in 2009–2010 [13]. The seroprevalence was also higher compared to those in other studies focusing on, non-further specified, farm populations, such as 49% among farmers from Northern Ireland [14], and 27% in a farm cohort in the United Kingdom [5], [14], but was comparable to the seroprevalences ranging from 68% through 84% among professionals intensively working with ruminants in several other studies [15], [16], [17], [18]. In general, comparison of seroprevalences is complicated because of the different study populations, diagnostic tests and cut-off values used.…”

Epidemiology and Clinical Features of Human Infection with Coxiella burnetii in Denmark During 2006–07

“…Previous studies in Sweden have shown various estimates of seroprevalence: in a survey of sheep farmers in the island of Gotland, the proportion of seropositive was 30% (Akesson et al., 1991); in different areas of Sweden, estimates varied between 12% in a sample of veterinarians and 5–7% in non‐risk groups (Macellaro et al., 1993). In other settings, estimates reported were as high as 60.8% in rural areas of Cyprus (Psaroulaki et al., 2006), or up to 78% in a high risk rural population in central France (Thibon et al., 1996). More recently, a Northern Irish study reported 12.8% seropositives of a mixed urban/rural population (McCaughey et al., 2008), and in a survey in the United States, antibodies were detected on 22% of the sample of veterinarians (Whitney et al., 2009).…”

Coxiella burnetii Seroprevalence of Shepherds and Their Flocks in the Lower Saint‐Lawrence River Region of Quebec, Canada

“…The parturition products and the feces and urine of sheep, cats, goats and dogs are the more common sources of transmission of the bacteria (6)(7)(8)(9). Although these animals rarely show any symptoms of the infection (10,11), abortions in sheep, goats and cattle can be seen in some cases (5,6,(12)(13)(14).…”