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Pires H, Santos-Silva S, Cruz AVS, Cardoso L, Lopes AP, Pereira MA, Nóbrega C, Mega AC, Santos C, Cruz R, Esteves F, Vala H, Matos AC, Barradas PF, Coelho AC, Mesquita JR. Molecular evidence of sporadic Coxiella burnetii excretion in sheep milk, central Portugal. Vet Res Commun 2024:10.1007/s11259-024-10389-x. [PMID: 38656656 DOI: 10.1007/s11259-024-10389-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2024] [Accepted: 04/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
Coxiella burnetii is the etiologic agent of Q fever, a worldwide zoonosis. Cattle, sheep and goats are considered the main reservoirs of the disease. Transmission to humans occurs mainly through the inhalation of infectious aerosols from milk, faeces, urine, and birth products from infected ruminants. In this study, a 2-year longitudinal approach was performed to ascertain the excretion of C. burnetii in bulk tank milk samples of sheep from a mountain plateau in central Portugal, with sampling conducted during the years 2015 and 2016. From a total of 156 bulk tank milk samples tested by qPCR, only one showed to be positive for C. burnetii (1.28% [95%CI: 0.03-6.94]), from 2015, the first year of collection. Bidirectional sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of IS1111 transposase partial region confirmed the presence of C. burnetii DNA. The presence of C. burnetii in raw milk samples highlights the necessity for additional research to determine if raw milk is a potential source for human infection. Animal health surveillance and prevention measures against this zoonotic disease should be considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Humberto Pires
- Polytechnic Institute of Castelo Branco, Castelo Branco, 6001-909, Portugal
| | - Sérgio Santos-Silva
- ICBAS - School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Porto University, Porto, 4050-313, Portugal
| | - Andreia V S Cruz
- ICBAS - School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Porto University, Porto, 4050-313, Portugal
| | - Luís Cardoso
- Animal and Veterinary Research Centre (CECAV), Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD), Vila Real, 5000-801, Portugal
- Associate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Sciences (AL4AnimalS), Vila Real, 5000-801, Portugal
| | - Ana Patrícia Lopes
- Animal and Veterinary Research Centre (CECAV), Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD), Vila Real, 5000-801, Portugal
- Associate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Sciences (AL4AnimalS), Vila Real, 5000-801, Portugal
| | - Maria A Pereira
- Instituto Politécnico de Viseu, Escola Superior Agrária de Viseu, Campus Politécnico, Viseu, 3504-510, Portugal
- Global Health and Tropical Medicine, Associate Laboratory in Translation and Innovation Towards Global Health, GHTM, LA-REAL, Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical, IHMT, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, UNL, Rua da Junqueira 100, Lisboa, 1349-008, Portugal
- CERNAS-Research Centre for Natural Resources, Environment and Society, ESAV, Instituto Politécnico de Viseu, Viseu, 3500-606, Portugal
| | - Carmen Nóbrega
- Instituto Politécnico de Viseu, Escola Superior Agrária de Viseu, Campus Politécnico, Viseu, 3504-510, Portugal
- Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences (CITAB), University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Vila Real, 5001-801, Portugal
| | - Ana Cristina Mega
- Instituto Politécnico de Viseu, Escola Superior Agrária de Viseu, Campus Politécnico, Viseu, 3504-510, Portugal
- Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences (CITAB), University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Vila Real, 5001-801, Portugal
| | - Carla Santos
- Instituto Politécnico de Viseu, Escola Superior Agrária de Viseu, Campus Politécnico, Viseu, 3504-510, Portugal
- Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences (CITAB), University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Vila Real, 5001-801, Portugal
| | - Rita Cruz
- Instituto Politécnico de Viseu, Escola Superior Agrária de Viseu, Campus Politécnico, Viseu, 3504-510, Portugal
- Epidemiology Research Unit (EPIUnit), Instituto de Saúde Pública da Universidade do Porto, Porto, 4050-091, Portugal
- Laboratório para a Investigação Integrativa e Translacional em Saúde Populacional (ITR), Porto, 4050- 600, Portugal
| | - Fernando Esteves
- Instituto Politécnico de Viseu, Escola Superior Agrária de Viseu, Campus Politécnico, Viseu, 3504-510, Portugal
- CERNAS-Research Centre for Natural Resources, Environment and Society, ESAV, Instituto Politécnico de Viseu, Viseu, 3500-606, Portugal
| | - Helena Vala
- Instituto Politécnico de Viseu, Escola Superior Agrária de Viseu, Campus Politécnico, Viseu, 3504-510, Portugal
- CERNAS-Research Centre for Natural Resources, Environment and Society, ESAV, Instituto Politécnico de Viseu, Viseu, 3500-606, Portugal
- Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences (CITAB), University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Vila Real, 5001-801, Portugal
| | - Ana Cristina Matos
- Polytechnic Institute of Castelo Branco, Castelo Branco, 6001-909, Portugal
- Research Center for Natural Resources, Environment and Society, Polytechnic Institute of Castelo Branco, Castelo Branco, 6001-909, Portugal
- Quality of Life in the Rural World (Q-RURAL), Polytechnic Institute of Castelo Branco, Castelo Branco, 6001- 909, Portugal
| | - Patrícia F Barradas
- Epidemiology Research Unit (EPIUnit), Instituto de Saúde Pública da Universidade do Porto, Porto, 4050-091, Portugal
- Laboratório para a Investigação Integrativa e Translacional em Saúde Populacional (ITR), Porto, 4050- 600, Portugal
- Department of Sciences, CESPU, CRL, University Institute of Health Sciences (IUCS), Gandra, Portugal
| | - Ana Cláudia Coelho
- Animal and Veterinary Research Centre (CECAV), Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD), Vila Real, 5000-801, Portugal
- Associate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Sciences (AL4AnimalS), Vila Real, 5000-801, Portugal
| | - João R Mesquita
- ICBAS - School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Porto University, Porto, 4050-313, Portugal.
- Epidemiology Research Unit (EPIUnit), Instituto de Saúde Pública da Universidade do Porto, Porto, 4050-091, Portugal.
- Laboratório para a Investigação Integrativa e Translacional em Saúde Populacional (ITR), Porto, 4050- 600, Portugal.
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Pires H, Cardoso L, Lopes AP, Fontes MDC, Santos-Silva S, Matos M, Pintado C, Figueira L, Matos AC, Mesquita JR, Coelho AC. Prevalence and Risk Factors for Hepatitis E Virus in Wild Boar and Red Deer in Portugal. Microorganisms 2023; 11:2576. [PMID: 37894234 PMCID: PMC10609178 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11102576] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2023] [Revised: 10/10/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a zoonotic foodborne virus with an annual infection prevalence of 20 million human cases, which seriously affects public health and economic development in both developed and developing countries. To better understand the epidemiology of HEV in Central Portugal, a cross-sectional study was conducted from 2016 to 2023 with sera samples from wild ungulates. The seroprevalence and risk factors for HEV seropositivity were evaluated in the present study. Specifically, antibodies against HEV were determined by a commercial enzyme-linked immune-sorbent assay (ELISA). Our results show that in the 650 sera samples collected from 298 wild red deer and 352 wild boars in Portugal, 9.1% red deer and 1.7% wild boar were positive for antibodies to HEV. Regarding age, the seropositivity in juvenile wild ungulates was 1.3%, whereas it was 7.2% in adults. Logistic regression models investigated risk factors for seropositivity. The odds of being seropositive was 3.6 times higher in adults than in juveniles, and the risk was 4.2 times higher in red deer than in wild boar. Both wild ungulate species were exposed to HEV. The higher seroprevalence in red deer suggests that this species may make a major contribution to the ecology of HEV in Central Portugal. Further research is needed to understand how wildlife affects the epidemiology of HEV infections in Portugal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Humberto Pires
- Polytechnic Institute of Castelo Branco, 6001-909 Castelo Branco, Portugal; (H.P.); (C.P.); (A.C.M.)
| | - Luís Cardoso
- Animal and Veterinary Research Centre (CECAV), Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD), 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal; (L.C.); (A.P.L.); (M.d.C.F.)
- Associate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Sciences (AL4AnimalS), 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal
| | - Ana Patrícia Lopes
- Animal and Veterinary Research Centre (CECAV), Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD), 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal; (L.C.); (A.P.L.); (M.d.C.F.)
- Associate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Sciences (AL4AnimalS), 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal
| | - Maria da Conceição Fontes
- Animal and Veterinary Research Centre (CECAV), Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD), 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal; (L.C.); (A.P.L.); (M.d.C.F.)
- Associate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Sciences (AL4AnimalS), 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal
| | - Sérgio Santos-Silva
- School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (ICBAS), Porto University, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal; (S.S.-S.); (J.R.M.)
| | - Manuela Matos
- Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences (CITAB), University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD), 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal;
| | - Cristina Pintado
- Polytechnic Institute of Castelo Branco, 6001-909 Castelo Branco, Portugal; (H.P.); (C.P.); (A.C.M.)
- Research Center for Natural Resources, Environment and Society, Polytechnic Institute of Castelo Branco, 6001-909 Castelo Branco, Portugal;
- Quality of Life in the Rural World (Q-RURAL), Polytechnic Institute of Castelo Branco, 6001-909 Castelo Branco, Portugal
| | - Luís Figueira
- Research Center for Natural Resources, Environment and Society, Polytechnic Institute of Castelo Branco, 6001-909 Castelo Branco, Portugal;
- Quality of Life in the Rural World (Q-RURAL), Polytechnic Institute of Castelo Branco, 6001-909 Castelo Branco, Portugal
| | - Ana Cristina Matos
- Polytechnic Institute of Castelo Branco, 6001-909 Castelo Branco, Portugal; (H.P.); (C.P.); (A.C.M.)
- Research Center for Natural Resources, Environment and Society, Polytechnic Institute of Castelo Branco, 6001-909 Castelo Branco, Portugal;
- Quality of Life in the Rural World (Q-RURAL), Polytechnic Institute of Castelo Branco, 6001-909 Castelo Branco, Portugal
| | - João Rodrigo Mesquita
- School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (ICBAS), Porto University, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal; (S.S.-S.); (J.R.M.)
- Epidemiology Research Unit (EPIUnit), Instituto de Saúde Pública da Universidade do Porto, 4050-600 Porto, Portugal
- Laboratório Para a Investigação Integrativa e Translacional em Saúde Populacional (ITR), 4050-600 Porto, Portugal
| | - Ana Cláudia Coelho
- Animal and Veterinary Research Centre (CECAV), Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD), 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal; (L.C.); (A.P.L.); (M.d.C.F.)
- Associate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Sciences (AL4AnimalS), 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal
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Pires H, Martins M, Matos AC, Cardoso L, Monteiro F, Roque N, Nunes T, Gottstein B, Cortes H. Geospatial analysis applied to seroepidemiological survey of canine leishmaniosis in east-central Portugal. Vet Parasitol 2019; 274:108930. [PMID: 31586700 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2019.108930] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2019] [Revised: 09/20/2019] [Accepted: 09/21/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Despite the high prevalence of canine Leishmania infantum infection in Portugal, significant differences associated with different risk factors can be found between geographically contiguous areas. In this study, a geographical area within the central region of Portugal (municipalities of Proença-a-Nova, Mação and Vila de Rei) was investigated. An epidemiological survey involved the analysis by an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay of serum samples collected during the anti-rabies vaccination campaign from 282 dogs. Geospatial analysis showed the distribution of geospatial prevalence of leishmaniosis and has delimited two areas (clusters) with a statistically significant higher risk of seropositivity in dogs (p = 0.003 and p = 0.027, for clusters 1 and 2, respectively). The highest seroprevalence (56.0%; CI: 41.2-70.0) was found in Vila de Rei. Five land occupation types showed a possible influence on the geographic distribution of seropositivity, with statistically significant differences between seropositive and seronegative dogs. Land occupied by temporary irrigated crops (p = 0.026), olive groves (p = 0.013), complex cultural systems and parcelling (p = 0.021), open forests, logging and new plantations (p = 0.043) and watercourses (p = 0.012) influenced the geographical distribution of canine Leishmania infection. Seropositive dogs had a greater average area of occupied land (i.e. open forests, logging and new plantations) than the seronegative ones (3.1439 km2 versus 2.5650 km2, respectively; p = 0.043).
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Affiliation(s)
- Humberto Pires
- Polytechnic Institute of Castelo Branco, School of Agriculture, Castelo Branco, Portugal
| | - Manuel Martins
- Polytechnic Institute of Castelo Branco, School of Agriculture, Castelo Branco, Portugal; QRural - Quality of Life in the Rural World - Research Unit, Polytechnic Institute of Castelo Branco, Castelo Branco, Portugal
| | - Ana Cristina Matos
- Polytechnic Institute of Castelo Branco, School of Agriculture, Castelo Branco, Portugal; QRural - Quality of Life in the Rural World - Research Unit, Polytechnic Institute of Castelo Branco, Castelo Branco, Portugal; CERNAS - Research Center for Natural Resources, Environment and Society, Polytechnic Institute of Castelo Branco, Castelo Branco, Portugal.
| | - Luís Cardoso
- CECAV - Animal and Veterinary Research Centre, Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD), Vila Real, Portugal
| | | | - Natália Roque
- Polytechnic Institute of Castelo Branco, School of Agriculture, Castelo Branco, Portugal; QRural - Quality of Life in the Rural World - Research Unit, Polytechnic Institute of Castelo Branco, Castelo Branco, Portugal
| | - Telmo Nunes
- CIISA - Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Lisbon, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Bruno Gottstein
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Pathobiology, Vetsuisse Faculty, Institute of Parasitology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Helder Cortes
- Institute of Mediterranean Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (ICAAM). University of Évora, Núcleo da Mitra, Évora, Portugal
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