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- Title
Serosurvey of Coxiella burnetii in Descendants of Former Black Slaves (Quilombola Communities) of Southern Brazil.
- Authors
de França, Danilo Alves; Kmetiuk, Louise Bach; Panazzolo, Giovanni Augusto Kalempa; Domingues, Orlei José; da Silva, Filipe Pereira; Biondo, Leandro Meneguelli; de Souza Ribeiro Mioni, Mateus; Possebon, Fábio Sossai; de Lima Duré, Ana Íris; Silva, Marcos Vinicius Ferreira; Duarte, Myrian Morato; Fávero, Giovani Marino; Biondo, Alexander Welker; Langoni, Helio
- Abstract
Brazilian descendants of former Black-slave (quilombola) communities have been predisposed to several zoonotic diseases due to social vulnerability, characterized by subsistence and close contact with livestock and companion animals. Accordingly, the present study has assessed anti-Coxiella burnetii antibodies in 200 individuals and 20 dogs from four quilombola communities located in Paraná State, southern Brazil. Serum samples were tested by indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) using in-house and commercial diagnostic protocols, with analysis of seropositive titers and antibody type. Fisher's exact test was used to compare seropositivity to C. burnetti with binary variables, with variables with three or more possible responses submitted to logistic regression. In total, 44/200 (22%; 95% CI 16.82–28.24) people tested positive, and 4.5% had titers higher than 128, indicating a recent onset of C. burnetii infection. Seropositive individuals were statistically associated with the Limitão community (p = 0.0013), urban workers as occupations (p = 0.0475), consumption of undercooked meat (p = 0.0159), and contact with animal abortion (p = 0.0276). No seropositivity association was found for age, sex, education, habit of entering forest areas, consumption of game meat, consumption of raw milk, flea and tick bites, dog contact, or history of female miscarriage. Only one of 20 dogs was seropositive with a titer of 128, probably related to an acute animal infection. Despite the prevalence here being higher than previous Brazilian reports, including with symptomatic populations, the results were within range for worldwide outbreaks and occupational risk populations. To the reader's knowledge, this is the first human survey of Q fever in southern Brazil and should be considered a warning for C. burnetii in vulnerable populations, particularly Quilombola communities.
- Subjects
BRAZIL; COXIELLA burnetii; Q fever; ZOONOSES; SERUM; PETS; FISHER exact test; ABORTION; BLACK children
- Publication
Microorganisms, 2024, Vol 12, Issue 1, p92
- ISSN
2076-2607
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.3390/microorganisms12010092