Abstract

Q fever caused by Coxiella burnetii is an important zoonosis and has great public health significance. A total of 905 clinical samples from 387 cattle [serum (n = 387); vaginal swabs (n = 387); milk (n = 131)] and 59 serum samples from humans were collected from gaushala (cattle shelter) and screened for anti-C. burnetii IgG antibodies in the sera using an indirect-ELISA kit. Further, the samples were tested for C. burnetii DNA employing TaqMan real-time and conventional PCR assays targeting the com1 gene. In ELISA, 9.56% and 6.78% of animal and human sera samples were positive for anti-C. burnetii antibodies, respectively. Upon pathogen detection, 3.87% sera, 1.81% vaginal swabs, and 6.87% milk samples from cattle tested positive in TaqMan real-time PCR and 1.55% sera, 0.52% vaginal swabs, and 3.05% milk samples were found positive in conventional PCR. In humans, one serum sample was positive in both the PCR assays. The PCR positive samples (n = 12) were partially sequenced and the phylogenetic tree was constructed using com1 gene sequences (n = 42) from a different host and geographical areas. The study highlights infection of cattle and their human contacts in gaushala and identifies relationships between strains identified in the gaushala and those in other parts of the globe.

摘要

伯氏柯克斯体引起的Q热是一种重要的人畜共患病，具有重要的公共卫生意义。来自 387 头牛的总共 905 个临床样本[血清（n  = 387）；阴道拭子（n  = 387）；牛奶 ( n  = 131)] 和 59 份人类血清样本是从 gaushala（牛舍）收集的，并使用间接 ELISA 试剂盒筛选血清中的抗C. burnetii IgG 抗体。此外，使用针对com 1 基因的 TaqMan 实时和常规 PCR 测定法对样品进行了伯氏 DNA 检测。在 ELISA 中，9.56% 和 6.78% 的动物和人类血清样本呈抗伯氏梭菌阳性抗体，分别。经病原体检测，3.87% 的血清、1.81% 的阴道拭子和 6.87% 的牛奶样本在 TaqMan 实时 PCR 中呈阳性，1.55% 的血清、0.52% 的阴道拭子和 3.05% 的牛奶样本在常规 PCR 中呈阳性。在人类中，一份血清样本在两种 PCR 检测中均呈阳性。对 PCR 阳性样本 ( n = 12) 进行了部分测序，并使用 来自不同宿主和地理区域的com1基因序列 ( n = 42) 构建了系统发育树。该研究强调了 gaushala 中牛的感染及其与人类的接触，并确定了 gaushala 中发现的菌株与全球其他地区的菌株之间的关系。