Background: Coxiella burnetii is a zoonotic bacterium that infects a wide range of animal species and causes the disease Q fever. Both wild and domestic ruminants may be relevant in the epidemiology of C. burnetii infection. In order to investigate the significance of the ruminant host community in the alpine and subalpine ecosystems of the Eastern Pyrenees, Northeastern Spain, in the epidemiology of Q fever, a serological survey was performed on samples from 599 wild and 353 sympatric domestic ruminants.
Results: Specific antibodies against C. burnetii were detected with a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Domestic sheep showed the highest prevalence (12.7 %, CI 95 % 8.6-16.9), followed by European mouflon (Ovis orientalis musimon) with a 6.8 % prevalence (CI 95 % 1.6-12.1), red deer (Cervus elaphus) with 2.4 % (CI 95 % 0-5.6), and cattle with a prevalence of 1.1 % (CI 95 % 0-3.2). No positive domestic goats, fallow deer (Dama dama), roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) and Southern chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica) were detected. Sheep flock prevalence was 75 % (nine of the 12 sheep flocks sampled were positive, within-flock prevalence ranging from 11.1 to 25.0 %), whereas cattle herd prevalence was 11.1 % (one out of the nine cattle herds sampled was positive, within-herd prevalence of 10.0 %.
Conclusions: Both domestic and wild ruminants from the alpine and subalpine ecosystems of the Eastern Pyrenees were exposed to C. burnetii. The higher seroprevalence in sheep and its relative abundance suggest that this species may have a major contribution to the ecology of C. burnetii. Conversely, wild ruminants do not seem to represent a relevant host community for C. burnetii maintenance in the Eastern Pyrenees.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4848809 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13028-016-0209-4 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Genomic and bioacoustic variation in a midwife toad hybrid zone: A role for reinforcement?
PLoS One
November 2024
Laboratory for Amphibian Systematics and Evolution, College of Biology & the Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, China.
Article Synopsis
- Hybrid zones are areas where diverging species meet, mix their genes, and provide insights into how species diverge and become reproductively isolated.
- This study focuses on a hybrid zone between two species of midwife toads in southern France, using advanced techniques to analyze genetics and mating calls, aiming to understand genetic mixing and potential reinforcement of reproductive barriers.
- Findings indicate a narrow hybrid zone with limited gene flow and evidence of reproductive isolation, suggesting that while mating calls overlap less in the hybrid zone, this trend does not lead to clear differences in calls, indicating complex dynamics in reinforcement processes.
From source to sink: part 2-seasonal dispersion of microplastics discharged in the NW Mediterranean Sea by the Rhone River in southern France.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int
October 2024
Université de Perpignan Via Domitia, CNRS, Centre de Formation et de Recherche sur les Environnements Méditerranéens (CEFREM), Perpignan, 66000, France.
As the largest individual contributor of freshwater inflow to the basin, the Rhone River is likely to be one of the main sources of microplastics (MPs) to the Mediterranean Sea. In order to predict the fate of MPs discharged by the Rhone River, an innovative 3D Lagrangian dispersion of its particles associated with vertical velocities was modeled in Mediterranean ocean currents. Through winter and summer scenarios, the seasonal variability of transfers and the corresponding accumulation areas were depicted in the Northwestern Basin according to hydrodynamic conditions on the continental shelf of the Gulf of Lion and to the frontal dynamics from the Pyrenees to the North Balearic fronts.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGenome-wide SNP assessment of contemporary European red deer genetic structure highlights the distinction of peripheral populations and the main admixture zones in Europe.
Mol Ecol
September 2024
Wildlife Research Unit (UIRCP), University of Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain.
Genome-wide technologies open up new possibilities to clarify questions on genetic structure and phylogeographic history of taxa previously studied with microsatellite loci and mitochondrial sequences. Here, we used 736 individual red deer (Cervus elaphus) samples genotyped at 35,701 single nucleotide polymorphism loci (SNPs) to assess the population structure of the species throughout Europe. The results identified 28 populations, with higher degrees of genetic distinction in peripheral compared to mainland populations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMRGPRB2/X2 and the analogous effects of its agonist and antagonist in DSS-induced colitis in mice.
Biomed Pharmacother
May 2024
School of Biological Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China. Electronic address:
The mast cell receptor Mrgprb2, a mouse orthologue of human Mrgprx2, is known as an inflammatory receptor and its elevated expression is associated with various diseases such as ulcerative colitis. We aimed to elucidate the role of Mrgprb2/x2 and the effect of its ligands on a chemically induced murine colitis model. We showed that in Mrgprb2 mice, there is a differential regulation of cytokine releases in the blood plasma and severe colonic damages after DSS treatment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDeath in the high mountains: Evidence of interpersonal violence during Late Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age at Roc de les Orenetes (Eastern Pyrenees, Spain).
Am J Biol Anthropol
May 2024
Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES-CERCA), Zona Educacional 4, Campus Sescelades URV (Edifici W3), Tarragona, Spain.
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates incidents of interpersonal violence during the transition between the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age in the Eastern Pyrenees, aiming to contextualize these findings within Western Europe and differentiate them from secondary funerary treatments.
- The analysis involved using metric and non-metric methods to determine the age and sex of skeletal remains, with injuries being examined through advanced microscopy techniques.
- Results show that out of at least 51 individuals, six exhibited trauma likely from violence, predominantly affecting males, with sharp force injuries common on upper limbs and ribs, suggesting multiple violent encounters in a high-altitude setting.
Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!