Molecular identification of Coxiella burnetii in raw milk samples collected from farm animals in districts Kasur and Lahore of Punjab, Pakistan.

Coxiella burnetii is the worldwide zoonotic infectious agent for Q fever in humans and animals. Farm animals are the main reservoirs of C. burnetii infection, which is mainly transmitted via tick bites. In humans, oral, percutaneous, and respiratory routes are the primary sources of infection transmission. The clinical signs vary from flu-like symptoms to endocarditis for humans' acute and chronic Q fever. While it is usually asymptomatic in livestock, abortion, stillbirth, infertility, mastitis, and endometritis are its clinical consequences. Infected farm animals shed C. burnetii in birth products, milk, feces, vaginal mucus, and urine. Milk is an important source of infection among foods of animal origin. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and molecular characterization of C. burnetii in milk samples of dairy animals from two districts in Punjab, Pakistan, as it has not been reported there so far. Using a convenience sampling approach, the current study included 304 individual milk samples from different herds of cattle, buffalo, goats, and sheep present on 39 farms in 11 villages in the districts of Kasur and Lahore. PCR targeting the IS1111 gene sequence was used for its detection. Coxiella burnetii DNA was present in 19 of the 304 (6.3%) samples. The distribution was 7.2% and 5.2% in districts Kasur and Lahore, respectively. The results showed the distribution in ruminants as 3.4% in buffalo, 5.6% in cattle, 6.7% in goats, and 10.6% in sheep. From the univariable analysis, the clinical signs of infection i.e. mastitis and abortion were analyzed for the prevalence of Coxiella burnetii. The obtained sequences were identical to the previously reported sequence of a local strain in district Lahore, Sahiwal and Attock. These findings demonstrated that the prevalence of C. burnetii in raw milk samples deserves more attention from the health care system and veterinary organizations in Kasur and Lahore of Punjab, Pakistan. Future studies should include different districts and human populations, especially professionals working with animals, to estimate the prevalence of C. burnetii.

Molecular detection of Coxiella burnetii in raw meat samples collected from different abattoirs in districts Kasur and Lahore of Punjab, Pakistan.

Coxiella burnetii is the zoonotic pathogen that causes Q fever; it is widespread globally. Livestock animals are its main reservoir, and infected animals shed C. burnetii in their birth products, feces, vaginal mucus, urine, tissues, and food obtained from them, i.e., milk and meat. There were previously very few reports on the prevalence of C. burnetii in raw meat. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of C.burnetii and its molecular characterization in raw ruminant meat from the Kasur and Lahore districts in Punjab, Pakistan, as this has not been reported so far. In this study, 200 meat samples, 50 from each species of cattle, buffalo, goat, and sheep, were collected from the slaughterhouses in each district, Kasur and Lahore in 2021 and 2022. PCR was used for the detection of the IS1111 element of C. burnetii. The data were recorded and univariate analysis was performed to determine the frequency of C. burnetii DNA in raw meat samples obtained from different ruminant species using the SAS 9.4 statistical package. Of the total of 200 raw meat samples, C. burnetii DNA was present in 40 (20%) of them, tested by PCR using the IS1111 sequence. The prevalence of C.burnetii differed among the studied species of ruminants. When species were compared pairwise, the prevalence in cattle was statistically significantly lower than in sheep (P = 0.005). The sequence alignment based on origin implied that the strains are genetically diverse in different districts of Punjab, Pakistan. The findings demonstrated that the prevalence of C. burnetii, especially in raw meat samples, deserves more attention from the health care system and professionals from Punjab, Pakistan, i.e., abattoir workers and veterinarians.