Screening for Coxiella burnetii and Chlamydia species in Polish Cervidae

Abstract

Coxiella burnetii and Chlamydia spp. are known to have a wide range of hosts, e.g., mammals,birds, reptiles, including free-living animals, which serve as vectors for its transmission to humanand animal population. The aim of this study was to verify the occurrence of Coxiella burnetii andChlamydiaceae in samples collected from red deers, roe deers and fallow deers living in variousregions of Poland. Serum samples (n=385) were analyzed using an ELISA test to detect C. burnetiiantibodies, while tissue samples (i.e. lungs, liver, spleen) from 372 animals were tested by specificreal-time PCRs for the presence of Chlamydiaceae-specific 23S rRNA and C. burnetii DNA. All serumsamples tested negative for C. burnetii antibodies. Additionally, molecular analysis performed on theDNA samples did not detect either of searching pathogens. Lack of tested zoonotic agents in thenational population might indicate that cervids do not play a significant role in the transmission ofthese pathogens to humans and farm animals in Poland.