Molecular and serological detection of Coxiella burnetti in dairy cows from small properties in rural settlements and spatial analysis

• Grant number: 23/00076-9
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: September 01, 2023
• End date: August 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Preventive Veterinary Medicine
• Principal Investigator: Simone Baldini Lucheis
• Grantee: Simone Baldini Lucheis
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Antonio Carlos Paes ; Lilian Gregory ; Liria Hiromi Okuda ; Maria Angeles Ramo Gil ; Maria Izabel Merino de Medeiros ; Mateus de Souza Ribeiro Mioni ; Virgínia Bodelão Richini Pereira
• Associated research grant(s): 24/09808-5 - Investigation of Coxiella burnetti by ELISA, IFAT and molecular diagnosis in dairy cows from rural settlements in Brazil, AP.R SPRINT

Abstract

Coxiella burnetii (C. burnetii) is a gram-negative bacterium that causes a cosmopolitan zoonosis called Q fever. It infects a range of animals, with the large ruminant group (cattle) being the largest reservoir. It is known to cause gestational disorders in animals, such as abortion, stillbirths and premature births, in addition to causing infertility, generating a great economic impact. Infection in humans occurs by inhaling aerosols containing the bacteria from the excrement, milk or birth products of these animals. In view of this, the objective of this work is to investigate C. burnetii in milk samples from the teats of 498 lactating cows, from small properties in 25 rural settlements, located in three municipalities of Pontal do Paranapanema-SP and in nine municipalities in the Northwest region of the State of São Paulo, using the molecular techniques of Nested PCR and PCR in real time (qPCR), as well as carrying out the genetic sequencing and characterization of the genotypes of C. burnetti, using the MLVA "multilocus variable number" techniques tandem repeats analysis typing" and MST "multispacer sequence typing". The seroprevalence in these animals will also be evaluated, using the serological technique of Indirect Immunofluorescence (IFAT). Subsequently, a geographic analysis of the distribution of positive cases diagnosed in the different regions studied will be carried out, as well as an evaluation of the distribution of C. burnetti genotypes. This study is justified, in view of the importance of this zoonosis, about the possibility of transmission of C. burnetii from raw bovine milk in properties of rural settlements that constitute the dairy chain in Pontal do Paranapanema and in the Northwest region of the State of São Paulo, where the family production of small producers constitutes an important income activity, with the sale of milk and the manufacture of derivatives, such as cheese and butter, representing a serious public health problem. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

AIRES, ISABELLA NEVES; VALIM, AMANDA CORVINO; DA SILVA, LAIS PEREIRA; LEITE, BRUNA DOS SANTOS; RANGEL, MARCOS VINICIUS; DA SILVA, BRUNA LINDOLFO; ARAUJO JUNIOR, JOAO PESSOA; PAES, ANTONIO CARLOS; PEREIRA, VIRGINIA BODELAO RICHINI; LUCHEIS, SIMONE BALDINI. Dogs and cats naturally infected with Trypanosoma cruzi in zoonoses surveillance units from coastal regions of Brazil. VETERINARY PARASITOLOGY- REGIONAL STUDIES AND REPORTS, v. 60, p. 6-pg., 2025-05-01. (23/00076-9)