Molecular epidemiology of Coxiella Brunetii in small ruminants in Punjab, Pakistan: a novel reporting analytical cross sectional study

• Published in: Tropical animal health and production Vol. 53; no. 1; p. 68
• Main Authors: Iqbal, Muhammad Zahid, Durrani, Aneela Zameer, Khan, Jawaria Ali, Ahmad, Nisar, Usman, Muhammad, Jabbar, Abdul, Khan, Amjad, Usman, Saba, Anjum, Ahsan, Husnain, Muhammad
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 04-01-2021; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Amino acids; Animals; Biomarkers; Biomarkers - analysis; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Coxiella burnetii; Coxiella burnetii - classification; Coxiella burnetii - genetics; Coxiella burnetii - isolation & purification; Cross-Sectional Studies; Deoxyribonucleic acid; DNA; Epidemiology; Genetic variability; Genetic Variation; Goat Diseases - epidemiology; Goat Diseases - microbiology; Goats; Infertility; Life Sciences; Mastitis; Molecular Epidemiology; Mutation; Pakistan - epidemiology; Pathogens; Phylogeny; Prevalence; Q fever; Q Fever - epidemiology; Q Fever - microbiology; Q Fever - veterinary; Regular Articles; Risk analysis; Risk Factors; Sheep; Sheep Diseases - epidemiology; Sheep Diseases - microbiology; Sheep, Domestic; Transposase; Transposase gene; Veterinary Medicine/Veterinary Science; Zoology; Pakistan; Punjab Pakistan; Amino acids alignment; IS1111 transposase gene; Phylogenetic tree; Risk factors; Small ruminants; Coxiella burnetii
• ISSN: 0049-4747; 1573-7438
• DOI: 10.1007/s11250-020-02496-z

Coxiella burnetii
, an intracellular zoonotic bacterium, causes query (Q) fever in ruminants. Its role has never been elucidated in small ruminants from Pakistan. The current study is designed to (a) determine the prevalence of coxiellosis in small ruminants, (b) evaluate the association of various potential risk factors and biomarkers in the occurrence of
Coxiella burnetii
, (c) and determine phylogeny and genetic variability of its various isolates identified during the study. For this purpose, 320 blood samples from sheep (
n
 = 160) and goats (
n
 = 160) were collected from 9 Union Councils of district Kasur, Punjab, and processed for DNA extraction.
C. burnetii
was confirmed by amplification of IS1111 transposase gene with an amplicon size of 294 bp. The results showed that the overall positive percentage of
C. burnetii
is 36.87% (sheep: 46.9% and goats: 30%). The phylogenetic tree was also constructed which described the possible origin of this pathogen from environment. Besides, after translation into amino acid, the resultant alignment showed several unique changes at position numbers 18 and 27 in the isolates from goats and at 27 and 66 from those of sheep. These mutations can have major impact on the infectious characteristics of this pathogen. Furthermore, different potential risk factors and clinical biomarkers like age, tick infestation, abortion, mastitis, and infertility were also studied and found that these are significantly (
p
 < 0.05) associated with the occurrence of coxiellosis. It is concluded from the study that
C. burnetii
is endemic in small ruminants in Punjab, Pakistan. The outcomes of this study are alarming for scientific community as well as for policy makers because coxiellosis is an emerging threat to both humans and animals in this region due to its interspecies transmission ability.