Epidemiological study of Coxiella burnetii in dairy cattle and small ruminants in Québec, Canada.

The bacterium Coxiella burnetii (C. burnetii) can infect a wide range of animals, most notably ruminants where it causes mainly asymptomatic infections and, when clinical, it is associated with reproductive disorders such as abortion. It is also the etiological agent of Q fever in humans, a zoonosis of increasingly important public health concern.

Molecular characterization of subspecies C-type and S-type isolated from sheep and goats by using a combination of MIRU-VNTR loci.

subspecies (Map) is the etiological agent of paratuberculosis of domestic and wild ruminants. Map strains are segregated into 2 main groups or strain types referred to as sheep (S) type and cattle (C) type. Few small ruminant Map strains have been genetically characterized to date.

Validation of an in-house real-time PCR fecal assay and comparison with two commercial assays for the antemortem detection of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis infection in culled sheep.

Paratuberculosis is a chronic infectious enteritis of ruminants caused by Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP). In sheep, the antemortem detection of the infection is challenging given the slow progression of the disease and the lack of sensitive, specific, and cost-effective validated tests.

Identification and characterization of an emerging small ruminant lentivirus circulating recombinant form (CRF).

The molecular epidemiology of small ruminant lentiviruses (SRLVs) is constantly changing due to animal movements, cross species transmission and because of their rapid evolutionary rate. This study reports a comprehensive genetic and phylogenetic analysis based on consensus gag and pol sequences covering 3kb of the SRLV genome from small ruminants in Québec, Canada. A group of strains obtained from goats originating from different flocks, segregated in a unique clade distinct from currently known SRLV groups.

Proportional mortality: A study of 152 goats submitted for necropsy from 13 goat herds in Quebec, with a special focus on caseous lymphadenitis.

The objectives of this study were to determine the main causes of mortality, with a special focus on caseous lymphadenits as a cause of death or wasting in caprine herds from Quebec. Goats (n = 152) from 13 herds were submitted for necropsy; the cause of mortality, and the presence, location, and cause of abscesses (if present) were recorded. Proportional mortalities were distributed as: Clostridium perfringens type D enterotoxemia (17.

Phylogenetic analysis of small ruminant lentiviruses in mixed flocks: multiple evidence of dual infection and natural transmission of types A2 and B1 between sheep and goats.

Previous molecular analyses of small ruminant lentivirus (SRLV) populations in single species herds in Quebec, Canada, have revealed a relatively simple structure where goats and sheep appeared exclusively infected with B1 and A2 subtypes respectively. The present work aimed at extending these earlier findings with the analysis of SRLVs in mixed flocks. Molecular analyses revealed a more complex picture of SRLV population structure in mixed herds compared to single species herds.

PrP genotype frequencies of Quebec sheep breeds determined by real-time PCR and molecular beacons.

The allele and genotype frequencies of the prion protein gene (PrP), known to have an impact on scrapie susceptibility, were determined by real-time PCR for 500 Quebec purebred rams. Molecular beacons were very efficient in discriminating the 5 alleles investigated. Polymorphisms at coding positions 136, 154, and 171 of the PrP gene were analyzed using 3 separate real-time PCR reactions and a total of 7 molecular beacons.