Parisi Antonio, Fraccalvieri Rosa, Cafiero Mariassunta, Miccolupo Angela, Padalino Iolanda, Montagna Cosimo, Capuano Federico, Sottili Roldano
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Puglia e della Basilicata, V. Manfredonia 20, 71100 Foggia, Italy.
Vet Microbiol. 2006 Nov 26;118(1-2):101-6. doi: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2006.06.023. Epub 2006 Aug 7.
Coxiella burnetii, an obligate intracellular parasite with a worldwide distribution, is the causative agent of acute and chronic Q fever in humans. Although infection is often unapparent in cattle, sheep and goats, there is increasing evidence that C. burnetii infection in these species is associated with abortion and stillbirth. This paper describes the introduction of a single-tube nested PCR protocol for the diagnosis of C. burnetii-related abortion in domestic ruminants in Italy. A total of 514 aborted foetuses from cattle (n = 138) and sheep and goat (n = 376), collected from 301 farms, were analyzed from January 2001 to March 2005. Ninety-seven of 514 (18.9%) animals tested PCR-positive, with 16/138 (11.6%) cattle and 81/376 (21.5%) sheep and goat. Eleven of 102 (10.8%) farms with reproductive disorders in cattle and 37/199 (18.6%) farms with reproductive disorders in sheep and goats were infected with C. burnetii. A greater incidence was observed in three of the seven investigated provinces (p < 0.01), with rates of infected farms of up to 23.8%. Data showed that almost all the C. burnetii-related abortions were recorded between October and April (p < 0.01). These findings suggest that Q fever in humans is largely underestimated in Italy, probably because its occurrence is obscured by flu-like symptoms in acute forms.
伯纳特柯克斯体是一种专性细胞内寄生菌，分布于世界各地，是人类急性和慢性Q热的病原体。虽然该菌感染在牛、羊和山羊中通常不明显，但越来越多的证据表明，这些物种感染伯纳特柯克斯体与流产和死产有关。本文介绍了一种单管巢式PCR方法，用于诊断意大利家养反刍动物中与伯纳特柯克斯体相关的流产。从2001年1月至2005年3月，对来自301个农场的514例牛（n = 138）以及绵羊和山羊（n = 376）的流产胎儿进行了分析。514例动物中有97例（18.9%）PCR检测呈阳性，其中牛16/138例（11.6%），绵羊和山羊81/376例（21.5%）。牛有繁殖障碍的102个农场中有11个（10.8%），绵羊和山羊有繁殖障碍的199个农场中有37个（18.6%）感染了伯纳特柯克斯体。在七个被调查省份中的三个省份观察到更高的发病率（p < 0.01），感染农场的比例高达23.8%。数据显示，几乎所有与伯纳特柯克斯体相关的流产都发生在10月至次年4月之间（p < 0.01）。这些发现表明，意大利人类Q热在很大程度上被低估了，可能是因为其急性形式的流感样症状掩盖了它的发生。
