Publications by authors named "Rosaura Porcu"
Coxiella burnetii, the etiological agent of Q Fever, is a zoonotic pathogen distributed worldwide. It has been reported that virulent strains of C. burnetii are poorly internalized by monocytes compared to avirulent variants.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDuring 2009-2010, 161 tissue samples (142 placentas, 16 brains, and 3 livers) from aborted ovine fetuses on Sardinia Island, Italy, were tested for toxoplasmosis. Organs that showed a positive result by nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting the ITS1 region for Toxoplasma gondii were also amplified with 11 genetic markers (SAG1, 5'-SAG2, 3'-SAG2, SAG3, BTUB, GRA6, c22-8, c29-2, L358, PK1, and Apico) and then subjected to PCR/RFLP for genetic typing. T.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChlamydophila abortus (C. abortus) is the responsible agent for chlamydial abortion [commonly known as Enzootic Abortion of Ewes (EAE)] and, as such, it causes major financial losses to the sheep industry worldwide. Isolation of the pathogen is considered the 'gold standard' and most sensitive method of detection for diagnosing chlamydial infection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDuring 2003-2005, 399 abortion samples (315 fetuses and 84 placentae) were collected from 107 ovine and caprine farms in northern Sardinia. Tissues from aborted fetuses and placentae were examined by PCR assay to detect DNA from Coxiella burnetii, Chlamydophila abortus, Salmonella enterica Serovar abortusovis, Toxoplasma gondii, and Neospora caninum. The DNA from at least 1 of these 5 infectious agents was amplified in 41% of ovine fetuses, while only 17% of the caprine fetuses yielded a positive amplification result for at least 1 of the 5 agents.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- A study conducted in Sardinia from 1999 to 2002 analyzed 9,349 blood samples and 517 aborted samples from sheep and goats to investigate the presence of the bacteria Coxiella burnetii.
- The study found that 38% of sheep farms and 47% of goat herds had detectable antibodies to C. burnetii, while 10% of sheep fetuses and 6% of goat fetuses tested positive for the bacteria's DNA.
- The results suggest that although C. burnetii is widely present in these animals, it plays a relatively minor role in causing abortions, particularly in goats, with the placenta showing the highest rate of detection.