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High Prevalence and New Genotype of Coxiella burnetii in Ticks Infesting Camels in Somalia

Frangoulidis, D; Kahlhofer, C; Said, AS; Osman, AY; Chitimia-Dobler, L; Shuaib, YA

Authors

D Frangoulidis

C Kahlhofer

AS Said

AY Osman

L Chitimia-Dobler

YA Shuaib



Abstract

Coxiella burnetii is the causative agent of Q fever. It can infect animals, humans, and birds, as well as ticks, and it has a worldwide geographical distribution. To better understand the epidemiology of C. burnetii in Somalia, ticks infesting camels were collected from five different regions, including Bari, Nugaal, Mudug, Sool, and Sanaag, between January and March 2018. Collected ticks were tested for C. burnetii and Coxiella-like endosymbiont DNA by using IS1111, icd, and Com1-target PCR assays. Moreover, sequencing of the 16S-rRNA was conducted. Molecular characterization and typing were done by adaA-gene analysis and plasmid-type identification. Further typing was carried out by 14-marker Multi-Locus Variable-Number Tandem Repeats (MLVA/VNTR) analysis. The investigated ticks (n = 237) were identified as Hyalomma spp. (n = 227, 95.8%), Amblyomma spp. (n = 8, 3.4%), and Ripicephalus spp. (n = 2, 0.8%), and 59.1% (140/237) of them were positive for Coxiella spp. While Sanger sequencing and plasmid-type identification revealed a C. burnetii that harbours the QpRS-plasmid, MLVA/VNTR genotyping showed a new genotype which was initially named D21. In conclusion, this is the first report of C. burnetii in ticks in Somalia. The findings denote the possibility that C. burnetii is endemic in Somalia. Further epidemiological studies investigating samples from humans, animals, and ticks within the context of "One Health" are warranted.

Citation

Frangoulidis, D., Kahlhofer, C., Said, A., Osman, A., Chitimia-Dobler, L., & Shuaib, Y. (2021). High Prevalence and New Genotype of Coxiella burnetii in Ticks Infesting Camels in Somalia. Pathogens, 10(6), https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens10060741

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Jun 4, 2021
Publication Date 2021
Deposit Date Dec 22, 2021
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Print ISSN 2076-0817
Publisher MDPI
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 10
Issue 6
DOI https://doi.org/10.3390/pathogens10060741
Keywords prevalence; molecular typing; Coxiella burnetii; ticks; camels; Somalia; MLVA; GENUS HYALOMMA KOCH; Q-FEVER; PARASITIC STAGES; MOLECULAR CHARACTERIZATION; VASCULAR COMPLICATIONS; DOMESTIC RUMINANTS; ZOONOTIC DISEASE; ACARI; REDESCRIPTION; HUMANS
Public URL https://rvc-repository.worktribe.com/output/1553651