Coxiella burnetii infections in sheep or goats: an opinionated review

Q fever is an almost ubiquitous zoonosis caused by Coxiella burnetii, which is able to infect several animal species, as well as humans. Cattle, sheep and goats are the primary animal reservoirs. In small ruminants, infections are mostly without clinical symptoms, however, abortions and stillbirths...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Veterinary microbiology Vol. 181; no. 1-2; pp. 119 - 129
Main Authors:	Brom, R.Van den, Engelen, E.van, Roest, H.I.J., Hoek, W.van der, Vellema, P.
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Netherlands Elsevier B.V 14-12-2015
Subjects:	Abortion, Veterinary - epidemiology Abortion, Veterinary - microbiology Abortion, Veterinary - prevention & control Animals Bacterial Shedding Coxiella burnetii Coxiella burnetii - pathogenicity Coxiella burnetii - physiology Disease Outbreaks - prevention & control Europe - epidemiology Female Goat Goat Diseases - diagnosis Goat Diseases - epidemiology Goat Diseases - microbiology Goat Diseases - prevention & control Goats Humans Pregnancy Q fever Q Fever - epidemiology Q Fever - etiology Q Fever - therapy Q Fever - veterinary Ruminants - microbiology Sheep Sheep Diseases - diagnosis Sheep Diseases - epidemiology Sheep Diseases - microbiology Sheep Diseases - prevention & control Sheep, Domestic Zoonoses - epidemiology Zoonoses - microbiology Zoonosis Europe Sheep Goat Zoonosis Q fever Coxiella burnetii
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Summary:	Q fever is an almost ubiquitous zoonosis caused by Coxiella burnetii, which is able to infect several animal species, as well as humans. Cattle, sheep and goats are the primary animal reservoirs. In small ruminants, infections are mostly without clinical symptoms, however, abortions and stillbirths can occur, mainly during late pregnancy. Shedding of C. burnetii occurs in feces, milk and, mostly, in placental membranes and birth fluids. During parturition of infected small ruminants, bacteria from birth products become aerosolized. Transmission to humans mainly happens through inhalation of contaminated aerosols. In the last decade, there have been several, sometimes large, human Q fever outbreaks related to sheep and goats. In this review, we describe C. burnetii infections in sheep and goats, including both advantages and disadvantages of available laboratory techniques, as pathology, different serological tests, PCR and culture to detect C. burnetii. Moreover, worldwide prevalences of C. burnetii in small ruminants are described, as well as possibilities for treatment and prevention. Prevention of shedding and subsequent environmental contamination by vaccination of sheep and goats with a phase I vaccine are possible. In addition, compulsory surveillance of C. burnetii in small ruminant farms raises awareness and hygiene measures in farms help to decrease exposure of people to the organism. Finally, this review challenges how to contain an infection of C. burnetii in small ruminants, bearing in mind possible consequences for the human population and probable interference of veterinary strategies, human risk perception and political considerations.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-2 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-3 content type line 23 ObjectType-Review-1
ISSN:	0378-1135 1873-2542
DOI:	10.1016/j.vetmic.2015.07.011