title: First molecular evidence of Coxiella burnetii infecting ticks in Cuba.
abstract: Coxiella burnetii is the causative agent of Q fever. In order to explore the occurrence of C. burnetii in ticks, samples were collected from horses, dogs and humans living in a Cuban occidental community. The species most commonly recovered were Amblyomma mixtum (67%), Rhipicephalus sanguineus s.l. (27%) and Dermacentor nitens (6%). Specific IS1111 PCR and amplicon sequencing allowed the identification of C. burnetii DNA in A. mixtum collected from a domestic horse. These findings, for first time in Cuba, indicate the need for an in-depth assessment of the C. burnetii occurrence in hosts and humans at risk of infection.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Medicina Tropical "Pedro Kourí", Habana, Cuba. Electronic address: angelalberto@ipk.sld.cu.
authors.forename: Angel A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Noda
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Medicina Tropical "Pedro Kourí", Habana, Cuba.
authors.forename: Islay
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Rodríguez
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas del Trópico, Universidad de Córdoba, Montería, Colombia.
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Miranda
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas del Trópico, Universidad de Córdoba, Montería, Colombia.
authors.forename: Verónica
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Contreras
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas del Trópico, Universidad de Córdoba, Montería, Colombia.
authors.forename: Salim
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mattar
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016997:Coxiella burnetii / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology*; D003462:Cuba / Q000453:epidemiology; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D006734:Horse Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology; D006736:Horses; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D006801:Humans; D026863:Ixodidae / Q000382:microbiology*; D008297:Male; D013984:Tick Infestations / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology
keywords: Coxiella burnetii; Cuba; PCR; Q fever; Ticks