Two Years after <i>Coxiella burnetii</i> Detection: Pathogen Shedding and Phase-Specific Antibody Response in Three Dairy Goat Herds
Christa Trachsel,
Gaby Hirsbrunner,
T. Louise Herms,
Martin Runge,
Frederik Kiene,
Martin Ganter,
Patrik Zanolari,
Benjamin U. Bauer
Affiliations
Christa Trachsel
Clinic for Ruminants, Department of Clinical Veterinary Science, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
Gaby Hirsbrunner
Clinic for Ruminants, Department of Clinical Veterinary Science, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
T. Louise Herms
Lower Saxony State Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety (LAVES), Food and Veterinary Institute Braunschweig/Hannover, Eintrachtweg 17, 30173 Hannover, Germany
Martin Runge
Lower Saxony State Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety (LAVES), Food and Veterinary Institute Braunschweig/Hannover, Eintrachtweg 17, 30173 Hannover, Germany
Frederik Kiene
Clinic for Swine and Small Ruminants, Forensic Medicine and Ambulatory Service, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Bischofsholer Damm 15, 30173 Hannover, Germany
Martin Ganter
Clinic for Swine and Small Ruminants, Forensic Medicine and Ambulatory Service, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Bischofsholer Damm 15, 30173 Hannover, Germany
Patrik Zanolari
Clinic for Ruminants, Department of Clinical Veterinary Science, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
Benjamin U. Bauer
Clinic for Swine and Small Ruminants, Forensic Medicine and Ambulatory Service, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Bischofsholer Damm 15, 30173 Hannover, Germany
The infection dynamics of Coxiella (C.) burnetii were investigated in three dairy goat herds (A, B, and C) 2 years after the first pathogen detection. A total of 28 and 29 goats from herds A and B, and 35 goats from herd C, were examined. Sera were analyzed on three sampling dates using phase-specific serology. Pathogen shedding was assessed using post-partum vaginal swabs and monthly bulk tank milk (BTM) samples. Dust samples from a barn and milking parlor were also collected monthly. These samples were analyzed with PCR (target IS1111). In herd A, individual animals tested seropositive, while vaginal swabs, BTM, and most dust samples tested negative. Herds B and C exhibited high IgG phase I activity, indicating a past infection. In herd B, approximately two-thirds of the goats shed C. burnetii with vaginal mucus, and irregular positive results were obtained from BTM. Herd C had two positive goats based on vaginal swabs, and BTM tested positive once. Dust samples from herds B and C contained C. burnetii DNA, with higher quantities typically found in samples from the milking parlor. This study highlights the different infection dynamics in three unvaccinated dairy goat herds and the potential use of dust samples as a supportive tool to detect C. burnetii at the herd level.
