One Health Approach: An Overview of Q Fever in Livestock, Wildlife and Humans in Asturias (Northwestern Spain)
2021
Alberto Espí | Ana del Cerro | Álvaro Oleaga | Mercedes Rodríguez-Pérez | Ceferino M. López | Ana Hurtado | Luís D. Rodríguez-Martínez | Jesús F. Barandika | Ana L. García-Pérez
This study aimed to investigate the seroprevalence of <i>C. burnetii</i> in domestic ruminants, wild ungulates, as well as the current situation of Q fever in humans in a small region in northwestern Spain where a close contact at the wildlife–livestock–human interface exists, and information on <i>C. burnetii</i> infection is scarce. Seroprevalence of <i>C. burnetii</i> was 8.4% in sheep, 18.4% in cattle, and 24.4% in goats. Real-time PCR analysis of environmental samples collected in 25 livestock farms detected <i>Coxiella</i> DNA in dust and/or aerosols collected in 20 of them. Analysis of sera from 327 wild ungulates revealed lower seroprevalence than that found in domestic ruminants, with 8.4% of Iberian red deer, 7.3% chamois, 6.9% fallow deer, 5.5% European wild boar and 3.5% of roe deer harboring antibodies to <i>C. burnetii</i>. Exposure to the pathogen in humans was determined by IFAT analysis of 1312 blood samples collected from patients admitted at healthcare centers with Q fever compatible symptoms, such as fever and/or pneumonia. Results showed that 15.9% of the patients had IFAT titers ≥ 1/128 suggestive of probable acute infection. This study is an example of a One Health approach with medical and veterinary institutions involved in investigating zoonotic diseases.
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