Coxiella burnetii isolates cause genogroup-specific virulence in mouse and guinea pig models of acute Q fever.
Q fever is a zoonotic disease of worldwide significance caused by the obligate intracellular bacterium Coxiella burnetii. Humans with Q fever may experience an acute flu-like illness and pneumonia and/or chronic hepatitis or endocarditis. Various markers demonstrate significant phylogenetic separation between and clustering among isolates from acute and chronic human disease. The clinical and pathological responses to infection with phase I C. burnetii isolates from the following four genomic groups were evaluated in immunocompetent and immunocompromised mice and in guinea pig infection models: group I (Nine Mile, African, and Ohio), group IV (Priscilla and P), group V (G and S), and group VI (Dugway). Isolates from all of the groups produced disease in the SCID mouse model, and genogroup-consistent trends were noted in cytokine production in response to infection in the immunocompetent-mouse model. Guinea pigs developed severe acute disease when aerosol challenged with group I isolates, mild to moderate acute disease in response to group V isolates, and no acute disease when infected with group IV and VI isolates. C. burnetii isolates have a range of disease potentials; isolates within the same genomic group cause similar pathological responses, and there is a clear distinction in strain virulence between these genomic groups.
Department of Microbial and Molecular Pathogenesis, Texas A&M Health Science Center, College Station, Texas 77843-1114, USA.
K E
KE
Russell-Lodrigue
M
M
Andoh
M W J
MW
Poels
H R
HR
Shive
B R
BR
Weeks
G Q
GQ
Zhang
C
C
Tersteeg
T
T
Masegi
A
A
Hotta
T
T
Yamaguchi
H
H
Fukushi
K
K
Hirai
D N
DN
McMurray
J E
JE
Samuel
D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D016997:Coxiella burnetii / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D051379:Mice; D016513:Mice, SCID; D011778:Q Fever / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013154:Spleen / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D014774:Virulence
D016207:Cytokines