Original Scientific Article
Evaluation of the efficiency of detection of bacterial DNA in milk and tissue samples from cattle, sheep, and goats by conventional and nested PCR targeting Com1, sod and Transposase IS1111 genes of Coxiella burnetii genome
Konstantin Borisov Simeonov * ,
Keytlin Venelinova Todorova ,
Petia Dinkova Genova-Kalou

Mac Vet Rev 2025; 48 (2): i - x

10.2478/macvetrev-2025-0020

Received: 21 June 2024

Received in revised form: 16 February 2025

Accepted: 28 February 2025

Available Online First: 10 April 2025

Published on: 15 October 2025

Correspondence: Konstantin Borisov Simeonov, kbsimeonov@yahoo.com
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Abstract

Q fever is a worldwide zoonosis, caused by Coxiella burnetii, an obligate intracellular bacterium that affects both humans and animals. The serious consequences on human health and the economic losses it causes, require the use of rapid,accurate, and sensitive diagnostic methods for its detection. PCR is the most widely used method for the molecular detection of Coxiella burnetii. Considering available information on the different sensitivity of PCR assays according to the selected genetic targets to be amplified, the present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of conventional and nested PCRs performed with primers Trans1/2, OMP1-4, and CB1/CB2 for the detection of Coxiella burnetii genome in samples, obtained from cattle, sheep and goats. Thirty archival DNAs, extracted from placentae, vaginal swabs, bulk tank milk samples, and cheese were tested. The highest level of detection was found when samples were tested with nested PCR with primers OMP1-4, targeting the Com1 gene (96.3%), and to a lesser extent with conventional PCR (56.7% positivity), performed with primers Trans1/2, encompassing a part of the IS1111 insertion sequence. A correlation was found between the detection efficiency of some primers and the type and origin of the samples. The results show that the sensitivity of the various PCR protocols for the detection of Coxiella burnetii could vary, thus the results obtained with one genetic marker should be interpreted with caution.

Keywords: Coxiella burnetii, ruminants, PCR, primers, detection efficiency

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Copyright

Copyright: © 2025 Simeonov KB This is an open-access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Competing Interests

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Citation Information

Macedonian Veterinary Review. Volume 48, Issue 2, Pages i-x, e-ISSN 1857-7415, p-ISSN 1409-7621, DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/macvetrev-2025-0020

The all content of the Macedonian Veterinary Review, except where otherwise noted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License.