title: Molecular epidemiology of Coxiella burnetii from ruminants in Q fever outbreak, the Netherlands.
abstract: Q fever is a zoonosis caused by the bacterium Coxiella burnetii. One of the largest reported outbreaks of Q fever in humans occurred in the Netherlands starting in 2007; epidemiologic investigations identified small ruminants as the source. To determine the genetic background of C. burnetii in domestic ruminants responsible for the human Q fever outbreak, we genotyped 126 C. burnetii-positive samples from ruminants by using a 10-loci multilocus variable-number tandem-repeat analyses panel and compared them with internationally known genotypes. One unique genotype predominated in dairy goat herds and 1 sheep herd in the human Q fever outbreak area in the south of the Netherlands. On the basis of 4 loci, this genotype is similar to a human genotype from the Netherlands. This finding strengthens the probability that this genotype of C. burnetii is responsible for the human Q fever epidemic in the Netherlands.
authors.affiliation: Central Veterinary Institute, part of Wageningen UR, Lelystad, the Netherlands. hendrikjan.roest@wur.nl
authors.forename: Hendrik I J
authors.initials: HI
authors.lastname: Roest
authors.forename: Robin C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Ruuls
authors.forename: Jeroen J H C
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Tilburg
authors.forename: Marrigje H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Nabuurs-Franssen
authors.forename: Corne H W
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Klaassen
authors.forename: Piet
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vellema
authors.forename: René
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: van den Brom
authors.forename: Daan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dercksen
authors.forename: Willem
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wouda
authors.forename: Marcel A H
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Spierenburg
authors.forename: Arco N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: van der Spek
authors.forename: Rob
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Buijs
authors.forename: Albert G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: de Boer
authors.forename: Peter Th J
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: Willemsen
authors.forename: Fred G
authors.initials: FG
authors.lastname: van Zijderveld
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015373:Bacterial Typing Techniques; D016997:Coxiella burnetii / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D005838:Genotype; D015511:Goat Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006041:Goats; D006801:Humans; D017720:Molecular Epidemiology; D058885:Multilocus Sequence Typing; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D010802:Phylogeny; D011778:Q Fever / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D012418:Ruminants / Q000382:microbiology*; D012756:Sheep; D012757:Sheep Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*