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Applied and Environmental Microbiology, January 2009, p. 428-433, Vol. 75, No. 2
0099-2240/09/$08.00+0 doi:10.1128/AEM.00690-08
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
Coxiella burnetii Shedding Routes and Antibody Response after Outbreaks of Q Fever-Induced Abortion in Dairy Goat Herds
Elodie Rousset,1*
Mustapha Berri,2
Benoit Durand,3
Philippe Dufour,1
Myriam Prigent,1
Thibault Delcroix,4,
Anne Touratier,4 and
Annie Rodolakis2
Agence Française de Sécurité Sanitaire des Aliments (French Food Safety Agency) (AFSSA), Unité Pathologie des Ruminants (Laboratory of Pathologies in Ruminants), Sophia Antipolis, France,1 Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (French National Institute in Agronomic Research), Unité Infectiologie Animale et Santé Publique (Laboratory of Animal Infectiology and Public Health), Tours-Nouzilly, France,2 AFSSA, Unité Epidémiologie (Laboratory of Epidemiology), Maisons-Alfort, France,3 Fédération Nationale des Groupements de Défense Sanitaire du Bétail (French National Federation of Farmers Groups for Livestock Sanitary Defence), Paris, France4
Received 25 March 2008/ Accepted 2 November 2008
Q fever is a zoonosis caused by Coxiella burnetii, a bacterium largely carried by ruminants and shed into milk, vaginal mucus, and feces. The main potential hazard to humans and animals is due to shedding of bacteria that can then persist in the environment and be aerosolized. The purpose of this study was to evaluate shedding after an outbreak of Q fever abortion in goat herds and to assess the relationship with the occurrence of abortions and antibody responses. Aborting and nonaborting goats were monitored by PCR for C. burnetii shedding 15 and 30 days after the abortion episodes. PCR analysis of all samples showed that 70% (n = 50) of the aborting and 53% (n = 70) of the nonaborting goats were positive. C. burnetii was shed into vaginal mucus, feces, and milk of 44%, 21%, and 38%, respectively, of goats that aborted and 27%, 20%, and 31%, respectively, of goats that delivered normally. Statistical comparison of these shedding results did not reveal any difference between these two groups. PCR results obtained for the vaginal and fecal routes were concordant in 81% of cases, whereas those for milk correlated with only 49% of cases with either vaginal or fecal shedding status. Serological analysis, using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA), and complement fixation tests, showed that at least 24% of the seronegative goats shed bacteria. Positive vaginal and fecal shedding, unlike positive milk shedding, was observed more often in animals that were weakly positive or negative by ELISA or IFA. Two opposite shedding trends were thus apparent for the milk and vaginal-fecal routes. Moreover, this study showed that a nonnegligible proportion of seronegative animals that delivered normally could excrete C. burnetii.
* Corresponding author. Mailing address: AFSSA, Les Templiers, 105 Route des Chappes, BP 111, F-06902 Sophia Antipolis Cedex, France. Phone: 33-(0)4-92-94-37-36. Fax: 33-(0)4-92-94-37-01. E-mail: e.rousset{at}afssa.fr
Published ahead of print on 14 November 2008.
Present address: CLABO Conseil France, Merville, France.
Applied and Environmental Microbiology, January 2009, p. 428-433, Vol. 75, No. 2
0099-2240/09/$08.00+0 doi:10.1128/AEM.00690-08
Copyright © 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
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