Coxiella burnetii Shedding in Milk and Molecular Typing of Strains Infecting Dairy Cows in Greece.

ABSTRACT: Ruminants are considered the commonest animal reservoir for human infection of Coxiella burnetii, the Q fever causative agent. Considering the recently described importance of human Q fever in Greece, we aimed at providing the first comprehensive direct evidence of C. burnetii in dairy cows in Greece, including the genetic characterization of strains. The 462 examined dairy farms represented all geographical areas of Greece. One bulk tank milk sample was collected from every farm and tested for the presence of C. burnetii. Molecular genotyping of strains, performed directly on samples, revealed the existence of two separate clades characterized by single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotypes of type 1 and type 2. The two clades were clearly distinguished in multiple locus variable-number

SUBMITTER: Kalaitzakis E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7998660 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature