Screening for Coxiella burnetii and Chlamydia species in Polish Cervidae

Szymańska-Czerwińska, Monika; Jodełko, Agnieszka; Zaręba-Marchewka, Kinga; Niemczuk, Krzysztof

doi:10.2478/aspr-2025-0004

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 human and animal population. The aim of this study was to verify the occurrence of Coxiella burnetii and Chlamydiaceae in samples collected from red deers, roe deers and fallow deers living in various regions of Poland. Serum samples (n=385) were analyzed using an ELISA test to detect C. burnetii antibodies, while tissue samples (i.e. lungs, liver, spleen) from 372 animals were tested by specific real-time PCRs for the presence of Chlamydiaceae-specific 23S rRNA and C. burnetii DNA. All serum samples tested negative for C. burnetii antibodies. Additionally, molecular analysis performed on the DNA samples did not detect either of searching pathogens. Lack of tested zoonotic agents in the national population might indicate that cervids do not play a significant role in the transmission of these pathogens to humans and farm animals in Poland.

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Screening for Coxiella burnetii and Chlamydia species in Polish Cervidae

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